This isn't Goodbye
by HeartlandHorsePassion
Summary: IMPORTANT Author's Note! Please READ and REVIEW!:
1. Joke on Jake

Samantha Anne Forster woke up to the feeling of cold air blowing on her face. "What in the heck?" She thought to herself as her eyes popped open. She sat up and saw that her window was open. "Great."She said to herself as she got up to close it,shivering. Today she was supposed to go with her Dad and Jake to Darton. They hadnt told her why she was coming along but she was guessing it had something to do with shopping for baby stuff for Brynna,who was pregnant and the baby was due in a month. She knew Dad and Jake were probably both too embarassed to ask her but they were even more embarassed of shopping for baby clothes themselves. In fact,Sam herself could not imagine picturing Jake picking out diapers made her laugh outloud. "Sam,what are you doing?"Gram asked suspiciously,sticking her head in the door,"Are you getting ready to leave?" "Yes,Gram." Sam replied laughing harder as she thought how funny she must of looked standing in the middle of her room laughing at nothing. After getting over her laugh attack Sam quickly took a shower,got dressed and rushed downstairs. As she was bounding down the stairs like a mustang with a cougar chasing it(I don't know if that phrase makes any sense)she collided into someone who was slowly coming up. She looked at the persons face and saw it was Jake. "Geez Brat,"He said looking at her like she was crazy,"We're not in THAT big of a rush." "Sorry Jake."She said as he continued up the stairs to the bathroom. As she looked at him she laughed,stilling thinking about the image of him holding diapers. "Well,someones in a good mood today,"Her Dad said going up to her smiling. "Well i guess I'm excited about the trip to town,"Sam replied smiling. Then since noone else was around she asked,"Hey Dad? Why do you need me to go to town with you?Not that I don't want to! I was just wondering." "well..."Wyatt hesitated,"The truth is I'll be at the tack shop looking at new tack and i was wondering if you could do some of Brynna's baby shopping for her." She Knew it! "Of course I will Dad,"Sam smiled,"What is Jake going to be doing?" Sam was surprised as Dad looked around to make sure noone heard and then whispered," Promise not to tell Jake?" "Of course,"Sam said,She would never give it away if it had anything to do with a joke on Jake who was always teasing her ," What is it?" "Well,"Her Dad said quitely," Jake's been playing some jokes on his brothers recently so asked me if I would tell Jake he was coming along to help me pick out tack, but really when the time comes I'm going to make him shop with you." Sam started laughing so hard her Dad had to hush her. This was going to be the best revenge on Jake Ely EVER!

So tell me what you think!


	2. Jake's Humiliation

A few minutes later Jake came back down the stairs. "Ready to go?"Wyatt asked him. "Yep."Jake said following him out the door. "You have fun sweetheart!"Gram called to Sam as she hurried after Jake and her Dad. "I will!"Sam replied,running out the door. And she knew she would. Once she was in the car,squished between the two cowboys she couldn't stop smiling. She was already excited about going into Darton but knowing that her image of Jake and diapers would come true made it a million times more exciting! As she sat there smiling she saw Jake looking at her quizzicly. "What?" She asked. "I don't know."He said," I guess I just didn't expect you to be this excited." "Well I'm really excited about shopping for baby clothes,"Sam said,"Especially getting to pick out the cute little diapers!" "Man Brat,"Jake said looking at her like she was TOTALLY crazy,"You really are having a looney day." If he only knew!" Sam thought to herself.

Obnce they arrived in Darton they stopped to grab something to eat before they started their shopping. "So ?What kind of tack will we be looking at?" Jake asked before biting in to his burger. "Well I'll be looking at some new bridles and just see what they have." Sam noticed her Dad had purposefully said I instead of WE. "Sounds good."Jake said The rest of the meal was silent mostly because Jake never really liked to talk much and Sam was to caught up in daydreams of how Jake would react to having to shop for baby clothes with her.

Then they were all done eating and it was time to start their shopping. Sam watched as Jake walked next to her Father expecting to follow him to the tack shop. Before they went their seperate ways Jake looked at Sam and asked in his "I'm 16 but I act like I'm forty" way,"Hey,brat?You gonna be okay shopping on your own?" "Jake."She said in her most mature way,"I' plenty capable of shopping on my own. I'm 14 years old!" "Well I guess." Jake said," But you've done some pretty crazy things before." For a moment Sam forgot that this argument was pointless cause she wouldn't be shopping alone and defended herself."Yeah I've done some crazy things before, Jake!"She yelled at him angrily,"But they were for a good cause and none of them happpened in a shopping store!" "Now Bra..." Jake was cut off by Wyatt's voice,"Now Jake," Wyatt said addressing him as a kid for the first time Sam remembered,"If your so worried about Sam mabe it would be a good idea if you went along with her." "That's okay ."Jake said,"I'm sure Sam'll be fine if she doesn't get any crazy ideas." "Well actually,"Wyatt said as Jake started to look worried," I'm a bit worried my self about Sam shopping all alone." He winked at Sam."So Jake.. I'm going to ask you to go with her.I would really appreciate it." Then Wyatt walked away before Jake could protest. "I"venever been so humiliated !Yourfather just told me to shop for baby clothes with YOU!" Jake pointed his finger at her like she was a naughty puppy and said YOU like she was some lower life he still wasn't done,"I could be looking at a new bridle for Witch and in a tack shop where most guys like me would be,but instead I will be shopping for baby clothes at the mall! And it's all because of you SAMANTHA ANNE FORSTER!" He shook his finger as he said her first middle and last name. Finally he stopped his outburst and stood there staring at her like she was the worst person in the world. For someone who ussually said so little words Jake had just said a ton,and they had all came out in one big angry breath. Sam would have been mad at Jake for blaming her if it was any other situation but in this case she just found it downright hilarious. "Now Jake,"Sam said calmly trying to hold in her laughter,"I can see that your angry but we need to get this shopping done before Dad's finished." "Now who's the mature one"She thought in her head, knowing ussually she'd be the one having a tantrum and Jake would be calmly mocking her. "Whatever Brat,"Jake said still red in the face,"But when we get back home you'll pay." "Another immature move from Jake Ely."Sam thought smugly. And then they headed towards the mall to shop. 


	3. Shopping with Jake

When they got to the mall Sam dragged Jake into the nearest baby store. As they walked upto the diaper aisle Jake's face turned a deep red and he looked at Sam with an expression that she could only read as resentful and embarassed. She had been waiting for this moment all day and she wasn't going to wait another minute. "Now help me find the right size of diapers for a newborn."Sam said to Jake. She just loved being the one to boss him around for a change. "why does Brynna need diapers before she has the baby?"Jake asked rubbing his neck like he always did when he was uncomfortable,"I mean can't you do this another day?" "No Jake."Sam said enjoying her bossyness,"We don't know if the baby could come tomorrow so we have to have everything ready just in case." Sam was surprised how mature she sounded."Well then why don't you just grab the diapers and move on."Jake sayed looking annoyed."Sorry jake."Sam said pulling his arm towards the diapers,"but you have to help or we'll be standing in this aisle forever and someone you know is likely to walk by and see you." "Fine"Jake said with a look of growing horror on his face as he was half dragged by sam. He walked up to a package of diapers that said "newborn"on them and picked them up. Luckily Sam hadn't forgotten her camera. She pulled it out quickly and was preparing to take the hilarious picture when Jake looked up with a look of such intense dread that she almost didn't take the picture. But then she remembered all the jokes Jake had made on her and realized this was her chance for took the shot quickly and dodged out of reach as Jake tried to grab the camera from her. "Sam,"He said looking at her strictly,"Give it to me NOW!" "No way."Sam said and put it in her bag. She could see why Jake was upset. He probably thought she would show it to his brothers who would tease him for the rest of his life and between the four of them they would tell the whole world about him shopping for diapers. But Sam wasn't that low. She would just show it to Gram and Brynna and keep it for herself when she wanted to put Jake in his place. Suddenly Sam felt some one grab her wrist. She knew it was Jake so she turned around. "Sam,just give it to me."Jake was desperate now. She had to do something before he did. "Listen Jake,"She said pulling her wrist free,"I'm not going to show the picture to anyone I just thought it would be funny to get you back for all the teasing and bossing.." "Whatever "Jake said deciding to finally act mature again," Just you better throw away the picture when you get home and get this shopping done quick." "Okay"Sam said. She walked up to the package of diapers that Jake had dropped on the floor during their squabble. She picked them up. "Here take these."Sam said slamming them against Jake's chest. Jake rolled his eyes as he followed her towards the checkout.


	4. Back to Sanity

After They had finished shopping(with Jake in agony) Sam and Jake, both carrying shopping bags with baby stuff, walked across the parking lot towards Wyatt's truck. Jake's spurs on his cowboy boots jingled as he crossed the asphalt with a relieved expression on his face . Wyatt, who was standing 50 feet away from them, watched as they come closer and chuckled under his cowboy hat. Unknown by by them, Jake and Sam were quite a hilarious site. Jake, dressed just like genuine cowboy, strided casually towards him with Sam, who was about 7 inched shorter than him, walking next to him with a smile on her face.

"How did your shopping go?" Wyatt asked as they all squished into the truck to head home. "Great!" Sam replied cheerfully. A disgruntled snort was Jake's only reply.

Sam and her Dad both looked at eachother and winked, then burst out laughing.

They both gotten a good laugh and now they were headed back to the ranch, were everything would be sane again.

As soon as they arrived back at River Bend, Jake quickly carried all the bags inside and dropped them in the living before anyone could see him with baby stuff. After she had put everything away, Sam went out to the barn to saddle Ace. "That ride to find the Phantom doesn't have to wait till tomorrow." She thought as she looked at her watch and saw how early it was. She was in Ace's stall putting his halter on when she heard footsteps coming down the barn aisle that she recognized as Jake's. "Hey, Brat."He said. "Hey, Jake." She mimicked. "I'm gotta be heading home now," He began, "And I just wanted to make sure you throw away that picture." "I promise I will." She stated. "Promise not to show anyone first?" He asked suspiciously. "Jake! I PROMISE I won't! OK?" Sam said loudly, getting a bit exasperated by his mistrust. "'Well, ok then." Jake said. Then he walked out of the barn and Sam heard Witches hooves as he rode away.

An hour later Sam and Ace were riding peacefully Sam hoped she would see the phantom and she half wished he would appear right in front of her because she knew she'd have to head back soon. "Like that's gonna happen,"She thought to herself , knowing that the stallion was probably busy keeping his herd together somewhere in the Calico mountains. Suddenly Ace sidestepped. For a moment Sam wondered if she had said her thoughts aloud and spooked him until she saw the beautiful silver stallion step out of the brush in front of her.

"Zanzibar."She whispered softly. The majestic stallion shook his mane and pawed at the ground. "I knew I'd find you."Sam said smiling. For a moment she almost thought the horse could understand her words as he nodded his muscular neck. He let out a small whinny as if to say,"Come over here and give me a proper hello." Sam laughed and swung out of the Saddle and left Ace ground tied as she walked slowly towards the Phantom. "Hey boy."She said as she gently touched his muzzle. He nuzzled her hand and then backed away beckoning her to go. "I guess your right." Sam said watching him," It is getting late. So I'll better be heading back." She watched as he galloped back into the brush, probably back to his herd. She swung into the saddle and directed Ace to head back home. It had been a good day. She had played a good joke on Jake and he had forgiven her, and now she knew the phantom was alright. Now she could head home and relax.


	5. The Misunderstanding

After Sam arrived back at River Bend she untacked Ace, rubbed him down,and let him out in the round pen. Then she ran inside for a desperately needed shower. As she was undressing in the bathroom something fell out of her pocket. She saw it was the photo of Jake and the diapers. She giggled looking at it. It was so funny! She wished she could keep it for memory's sake but she had promised Jake she would throw it away, although Jake did always tease her and treat her like a little kid they were still best friends and she couldn't break her promise to him. So she dropped the picture in the trash can and jumped into the shower, feeling happy about what she had accomplished.

After getting dressed Sam went outside to finish her chores. To her dismay, since she had left to town so early and hadn't time to do her chores she now had to do them quickly before supper. After finishing her chores, Sam ran up the porch steps, hoping she would have time to change before supper.

As she walked through the back door Pepper,Dallas , and Wyatt were coming out, and to her surprise they were all laughing hysterically. "What was all that about?" Sam asked her Gram curiously. "Your Dad didn't know you had taken a picture!" Gram explained chuckling to herself. "What do you mean?" Sam asked anxiously, hoping this wasn't what she feared it was. "The picture of Jake shopping for **diapers** with you!" Gram exclaimed,"You caught him at the perfect moment!" "But I threw it away!" Sam exclaimed. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Gram asked, looking concerned by Sam's voicetone,"I thought it must have been an accident. I thought you would want to keep the photo to tease it did make a good joke!" "You don't understand!" Sam said starting to panic,"I promised Jake Id throw it away! He's gonna freak if he finds out everyone saw it!" "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I didn't realize." Gram said apologetically,"Your Father has the picture now." "Well, I better go get it back now."Sam said , starting to calm down a bit,"Atleast I have till tomorrow to tell Dallas and pepper to forget they ever saw it." "Well, actually sweetie..."Gram hesitated," Jakes gonna be here for supper in half an hour." "Nooooo!" Sam cried. Then she rushed out the door to try and stop everyone from teasing Jake the minute he got there.

After 10 minutes of running around looking for her Dad,Dallas,and Pepper Sam went inside and found that Wyatt and Pepper had gone in while she was outside. So after explaining the mistake they both agreed not to mention it to Jake. " Of course I won't tell him." Her Dad said. "Me neither." Pepper said," It'll be hard not to tease Jake, but I won't." "Thanks!"Sam said relieved,"Do you know where Dallas is?" Before either of them could answer Sam's heart sunk as she heard Dallas's voice outside." Hey Jake!" Sam heard him yell as Jake rode up on Witch," Have a nice time shopping for _Diapers?_" "How'd you know?" Jake demanded. "I saw the picture Sam took." Dallas replied laughing," That was downright hilarious!" As Dallas walked up to the house to join the others Sam straightened up to prepare for Jake's rage. "He'll understand." Sam reassured her self," All I have to do is explain" But she wasn't so sure when she saw Jake striding towards her, with anger in his steps.

"HOW COULD YOU?"Jake shouted in her face. "You promised you would throw it away and now everyone knows!" "Let me explain!" Sam yelled just shook his finger at her. "Your so immature you can't even keep a promise to a friend!" With that Jake started towards Witch. "That's it!"Sam thought,"He won't even let me explain!"

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!"Sam screamed so loud she was sure everyone in the house had heard. Jake turned around and looked at her. "Just leave me alone,brat."He said. "NO!" Sam said so firmly that Jake stopped. "And stop calling me brat!"Sam said now that she finally had his attention. " come on brat,"Jake said," You only get mad when I call you that when your angry." "Whatever!"Sam said,"Thats not the point. The point is that I didn't show everyone the picture." "Well you didn't throw it away!"Jake yelled at her. "Yes I did!"Sam shouted, getting exasperated,"Gram just took it out of the trash can." Sam stopped for a breath but then continued before Jake could interupt."And when I found out I got the picture back and I tried to tell everyone not to talk about it but I didn't get to Dallas in time. So it wasn't my fault and I really never would've broken my promise to you! And here's proof!" Sam quickly pulled the picture out of her pocket and didn't even laugh when she looked at it. Instead she tore it up with her hands until it was in tiny little paices then she threw them on the ground and watched the wind blow them away. Then she looked at Jake.

"Well, I guess it wasn't your fault,"Jake began, still looking shocked by her outburst.

"You guess?" Sam asked hesitantly. "What I mean is..." Jake began looking nervous," Sorry I accused you." Sam's mouth fell open. Had Jake Ely just apologized to _her_ ? She couldn't believe it! She expected him to atleast eventually forgive her, but for him to apologize was just unimagineable. "Sam?" Jake's voice snapped her back into reality. "Uh, yeah."Sam said looking at him. "Your Dad just called us in for supper." He said. "'s go." They both turned and headed towards the house, glad that everything had worked out.


	6. Danger in the night

The next day Sam awoke to the sound of someone calling her name. She immediately knew who it was because both Brynna and Gram had left in the middle of the night for Darton so they could be there for Brynna's 5 am dr opened her eyes to see her Dad's face leaning over her, saying her name. "Sam, honey , are you awake?" He asked gently. "Now I am." Sam replied rubbing her eyes sleepily. "You better get dressed." Her Dad said. "What's going on?" Sam asked as she looked around and realized it was still pitch black outside. "Well…." Wyatt looked as though what ever he was going to say was so terrible he didn't want her to hear it. " What Dad?" Sam asked, getting anxious now. "Someone tried to break into the house and then Dallas caught them trying to take Dark Sunshine." He said looking stressed. "She's alright, isn't she?" Sam Asked. "Well, Dallas scared the guy away but Dark Sunshine escaped." "Oh no!" Sam exclaimed jumping up to get dressed. 'Well, as soon as your dressed come downstairs and we'll discuss what you'll be doing." "Great." Sam thought as he walked out the door. That most likely meant that she wouldn't be riding out to help search .

Sam got dressed as quickly as possible, then ran downstairs. What she wasn't expecting was to see Jake, Mr. Ely, Dallas , Pepper , and her Dad to all be waiting for her when she got downstairs. "Hi," Sam said , surprised. "Sam, " Her father began , " Mr. Ely, Dallas, Pepper , and I will be going to look for Dark Sunshine and Jake will be staying here with you just incase he decides to come back." Sam knew _He was whoever had tried to break in and steal Dark Sunshine, "But Dad!" Sam protested, although she was embarrassed of how immature she sounded in front of all the cowboys , "Why can't I come help look for Dark Sunshine? Don't you think I'm a good enough rider by now?" "Of course I know you're a good enough rider, Sweetheart." Wyatt replied patiently, "I just don't want you riding out when that thief could be out there in the dark , anywhere." "But Dad," Sam protested, "Don't you think it would be better to have Jake along to help with his tracking skills?" Jake looked embarrassed by the fact that she was using him in an argument with her Father. "It's too dark for Jake to be able to see the tracks anyways Samantha." Her Dad replied, looking firm, "If we still haven't found her by light then you and Jake can ride out. For now I'd rather you stay at home, safe." "O.k.' Sam said relenting. Although she wasn't much comforted by the fact that her Father thought Dark Sunshine may not be back by morning. _

_A few minutes later the men had all left and her and Jake were left alone to find something to do as they waited for their return._

_Sam and Jake sat at the table and ate chips. Jake didn't say anything, as usual. But Sam was fidgety so she finally tried to start up a conversation. "Soo…" She began, " This is kind of boring. What ya wanta do?" Jake just looked at her and ate another chip. "Come on Jake!" Sam said, feeling like a little kid who couldn't stay still, "I can't just sit here and stare at the table , wondering if they've found her or not." _

"_Okaaay." Jake said slowly, "Let's watch a movie." _

_20 minutes later Sam and Jake had finally agreed on a movie and were seating on the couch as it started. Sam was glad to have something to distract herself from thinking about Dark Sunshine and the thief. After about 10 minutes Sam looked at Jake and saw that his eyes were closed and his head was resting on the back of the couch and she suddenly realized she was tired. So after a few minutes she was comfortable and she nodded off to sleep. _

_About an hour later the men had arrived back. Dallas and Pepper went off to their bunkhouse for some deserved sleep and Mr. Ely and Wyatt went inside to tell Jake and Sam how the search had gone._

_As the two cowboys walked into the house they heard the TV quietly playing in the living room. They went into the living room and saw the ending credits of the movie playing on the TV screen and they looked at the couch and saw Sam and Jake both sound asleep sitting up. _

_Suddenly Blaze decided to bark for some unknown reason and Sam started to wake up._

"_Dad…" Sam said in her half asleep state with eyes closed, "It's not even light yet." "Sam, Sweetheart," Wyatt said softly, "Wake up." Just then Jake opened his eyes and looked around, groggily he stood up and looked at Sam still asleep on the couch. Suddenly Sam opened her eyes. "Jake?" She said looking at him confused, "What are you doing in my room?" "This ain't your room, Brat." Jake said , "Your on the couch." Sam's eyes widened. "Oh now I remember!" Her Dad and Mr. Ely chuckled as she stretched her arms and stood up._

"_So, " She said after a few minutes, "Did you find Dark Sunshine?" "No we didn't. It was pretty Dark. But we'll all ride out in the morning." Her Dad reassured," Now you go get a couple hours sleep first." "I guess I am still pretty tired." Sam said. She headed up the stairs and she drifted off to sleep the minute her head hit the pillow._


	7. I just won't think about Jake

Sam awoke to a knocking sound. "What IS that?" She thought , forcing her eyes open. She looked at her bedside clock and saw that it was already 8 am. Then she knew what the noise was. "Sam! Wake up!", Jake's impatient voice boomed from the other side of the door. "I'm coming. I'm coming!" Sam said drowsily, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.

She rushed through getting dressed and then headed downstairs. "Hey." Jake said, standing alone in the middle of the kitchen with his thumbs in his front pockets. "Hey." Sam said back, wondering where everyone else was. Jake seemed to read her mind. "They all left a couple hours ago while you were up there snoozing. We better hurry if we don't want to still be here when they get back." "Ok." Sam replied, ignoring his bossiness. They went outside and saddled up and rode out of the ranch yard and over the bridge.

"So, what do you think?" Sam asked Jake a few hours later as he was kneeling on the ground examining Dark Sunshine's tracks. Jake just let out a sigh. "Well?" Sam demanded. "It looks like she's headed home." Jake stated. "How could she have?" Sam asked , confused, "We would have seen her." "When we were back there on that other trail she probably passed us as she headed back to the ranch." Jake said as if Sam should have known this herself. "Well, I guess we better head back then." Sam replied as she turned Ace around. She couldn't seem to keep the agitation out of her voice. Jake had been acting all serious-bossy-know it all ever since they had left the ranch and Sam didn't like it one bit. She liked him much better when he was like he had been the night before, watching movies and acting like her friend instead of a guy twice his age. "Oh well," Sam thought to herself letting out a long sigh. "What?" Suddenly Jake's voice broke through her thoughts. 'What do you mean?" Sam replied, confused of why he would ask her why she had just let out a sigh. "Oh well What?" Jake said and Sam realized she had spoke her thought out loud. "Oh,nothing." She said hoping he didn't question her more. Jake just looked at her strange and nudged Witch to go faster and Sam followed.

When Sam and Jake arrived back at the ranch they were both relieved to see Dark Sunshine safe in her pen. Gram appeared on the porch just as they had finished un tacking. "Time for you two to come in and eat!" She called to them. Sam then realized how long they had been riding and she hadn't ate breakfast and suddenly hunger overcame her and she hurried inside to enjoy a delicious big meal.

As the Forster family and Jake started on dessert Wyatt decided to start a light conversation. "So Jake, When did you guys head out?" "Not until 8:30."Jake replied, "Sam was still asleep." Sam's anger flared. She wouldn't have minded so much if was just teasing her but he seemed to be using her as reason for him not leaving sooner.

Sam's irritation that had been building up all day began to reach the top. "What's up brat?" Jake asked her as he looked at her angry face. Sam crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. "You know." She said narrowing her eyes at him. She didn't even care that everyone at the table had stopped talking and eating to stare at her. It was just her family and she just couldn't hold her anger in any longer. "Embarrassed that you slept in, are ya brat?" Jake said smirking at her. That was the last straw! That smirk hadn't been a teasing one, it was Jake purposefully taunting her. She just didn't get it! He had been acting so weird all day and Sam just didn't get it. Her anger suddenly boiled right over the edge and exploded. "What is your problem?" Sam yelled at him across the table. At this point she began to get several warning glances from Wyatt, Gram, and Brynna. Jake just raised his eyebrows as if he was inviting her to go on. So regardless of the strange looks she was getting she did. "You try to act so mature!" Sam accused," But your not!" Sam didn't give Jake time to butt in, if he even wanted to, she was on a roll now. "You just going around being all bossy and protective when it isn't even helping me!" Sam was getting quite embarrassed at saying all this in front of an audience but she knew if she asked Jake now to go talk somewhere else he would just say no and leave. She had to take her chance.

"Your just don't get how annoying it can be to have a friend who always acts like your Father." Sam said. Her Dad gave her a harsh look. Jake suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'm leaving, Sam." He said. Sam noticed he looked hurt. He nodded at everyone else and headed towards the door . Sam just followed. She began to wonder if she had been to hard on Jake. "Oh come on Jake," She said as he put his hat on," Let's just talk." "There's nothing to talk about." Jake said coolly.

"You just don't get it!" Sam burst out. Jake turned around. "No Sam. You're the one who doesn't get anything." He gave her a hard look. Sam was exasperated beyond belief. "You think your so smart but you don't even know how to be a good friend!" "Just leave me alone Sam." Jake said emotionless. Then he turned and walked across the yard and mounted Witch while Sam just stood on the porch shocked.

Sam finally turned around and headed back inside. Her shock quickly turned into anger. Why did Jake have to be so dang stubborn! She walked inside and slammed the door loudly behind her. "Dang you Jake!" She yelled as she stomped in. She was headed for the stairs when she saw all three adults staring at her shocked. She had been so wrapped up in her fight with Jake that she had completely forgotten that they all had heard it. She felt immediately embarrassed. "I'm just going up to my room." She said calmly.

"Wait a minute young lady." Wyatt said stepping towards her. "What?" Sam asked trying to seem innocent. 'We need to talk about the little outburst you just had." Her Dad said sternly. "But I just need to go take a shower." Sam protested. "Just tell why you got so upset." Brynna said, looking sympathetic.

Sam sighed. "Jake just really agitates me." Sam said. She hoped this would be good enough explanation for her Dad. "That's no excuse for such an outburst." Wyatt said. "Oh come on Wyatt." Brynna said," Just let the kids work it out themselves." "Well I guess." Wyatt relented. "Thanks." Sam mouthed at Brynna. Then she ran upstairs and laid down for a nap. She wouldn't think about Jake. She just wouldn't.


	8. Fun times

The next day was Friday. Sam rushed to get dressed so she could get he school day over with. She was definitely ready for the weekend. When Sam got on the school bus and sat down next to Jen she saw that her best friend had a huge grin on her face. "GUESS WHAT?"Jen burst out. "What?" Sam asked eager to hear what her friend was so excited about.

"I convinced my Mom and Dad to let me spend the weekend with you and they called your Dad and he agreed, and I decided to surprise you. So Surprise!" Jen finally stopped and waited for Sam's reply." Wow." Sam said still processing all the excitement. Then she suddenly seemed to take in all her friend had just said. "This is so Great! This is going to be a wonderful weekend after all!" Jen smiled and all the rest of the bus ride they talked about their plans for the weekend ahead.

Sam and Jen were in the cafeteria when Sam spotted Jake's friend, Daryll, striding towards them. "How ya doing' Sammy?"Daryll asked in his usual casual joking way, "And what about you, Jenny?" "Jenny?" Jen scoffed scrunching up her nose," The only person who calls me that is my Mom." Sam rolled her eyes at Daryll's weirdness and laughed at Jens bluntness.

"So why aren't' you sitting with Jake?" Sam asked as Daryll started to walk towards another table where some other guys were sitting. "Oh I'm just not in the mood for the mood he's in." Daryll replied then walked away. "Well at least I'm not the only one Jake's weirded out." Sam thought to herself.

By the time they were on the bus ride home Sam and Jen were practically bubbling with excitement. Sam couldn't remember the last time Jen had gotten to come over for the whole weekend. The two girls practically flew across the ranch yard when they arrived at River Bend. Although they were both disappointed that Wyatt had said they couldn't go for ride until the next day they were excited to start their Friday night.

"So girls,"Brynna said as she walked into the living room," If you help cook dinner you can make what ever you want." "Sounds great!" Jen said happily. Sam nodded and smiled as she thought that Brynna looked almost as excited about the girls night as they were.

An hour later Sam,Jen, and Brynna were all curled up on the couch finishing up their mac and cheese and brownies as the horse/girl movie they had all agreed on began playing on the screen. Sam was really happy that her step mom could spend some relaxing girl time with them.

Half way through the movie Sam felt her eye lids begin to close and she blinked around and saw that Brynna had fallen asleep and was now snoring and Jen was settled into the couch as if she had fallen asleep too." Well I guess I might as well get some rest too." Sam thought to herself as drifted off to sleep.

The sound of a door closing woke Sam up suddenly. She looked around at the clock. It was 9 Pm. Wow. She had slept three hours straight. She looked over at Jen and was surprised to see her friend sitting up looking at her. "You've been asleep for three hours." Jen accused, looking like she had just woken up herself. "Well so have you" Sam replied laughing. They stood up and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of milk before going upstairs. "Goodnight, Sweetheart." Sam's Dad said kissing the top of her head," And you too Jen."

After both girls drank their glasses of milk in one big gulp they headed upstairs.

"So,"Jen said as they sat on Sam's bed facing each other, "What's up with Jake?"

"Oh you know," Sam said trying to avoid the negative subject," He's just being his usual idiot self." "What did you guys fight about this time?" Jen questioned,"I thought he had gotten over the whole diaper shopping thing." Sam half giggled at Jen's mention of the Jake and the diapers incident. "Oh nothing we need to talk about," Sam said," Let's not let Jake ruin our GIRLS night."

"Ok." Jen said laughing, and the rest of the night was spent giggling,joking,and talking obsessively about horses until they fell asleep .


	9. Sam and Jen's eventful ride

The next morning Sam and Jen had rushed through breakfast and were ready to run out the door and saddle up for the ride they had been planning when Wyatt's voice stopped them in their tracks," Now not so fast,." He said as Sam groaned and rolled her eyes at Jen," You still have your chores to do young lady." "Yes Dad." Sam responded then her and Jen went outside to try to get the chores done as quick as possible so they could spend at least a few hours riding.

After about an hour Sam, with help from Jen, had finished all her chores and the two girls were going into the kitchen to pack lunches for their ride. They quickly made ham and cheese sandwiches and packed them in their saddle bags along with water bottles and were about to head out the door when Gram walked in and looked at them. "How long are you going to be gone?" She asked," Your father wanted me to make sure you were back by early afternoon." "We're just going to ride for a couple of hours, stop for a picnic, then head back." Sam said. "Alright." Gram nodded then waved them out the door.

Pretty soon Sam ,Ace, Jen, and Silly were riding through the Nevada brush. Jen's Dad had brought Silly over the night before and Jen had been so excited she had given her Father a gigantic hug before he headed home. Sam was really having a good time. "So, do you have any ideas for the Show Your Skills contest at school?" Jen asked. Jen was very smart and really enjoyed school and had been excited when she heard about the new "Show Your Skills" contest that there school was having that month. Students who entered the contest had to create a project revolved around a certain subject and present it to the whole school at the end of the month. Sam hadn't been interested until she had heard that there was a photography contest. She thought if she could take some beautiful shots of the Wild Mustangs running free she could have a possibility of winning at least 3rd place and she would be promoting wild horses staying free. "

"I might enter the photography contest if I can get some good pictures of wild horses." Sam answered to Jen. "Maybe you'll have the chance to take some photos before we head back." Jen said. ""That's what I was hoping." Sam replied," That's why I brought my camera!"

The girls had been riding for at least An hour and a half when Sam looked at the sun and realized it must be noon. "Looks like lunch time." Jen said. They rode over to the side of the field they were riding through and dismounted and ground tied their horses before sitting down on the soft grass with their lunches.

"Have you talked to Jake yet?" Jen asked abruptly. "What makes you think I should talk to Jake?" Sam asked, somewhat agitated by the subject of Jake being brought up. "I don't know what you guys fought about, but you guys have been friends forever and even though Jake can be a jerk I think he's always going to be your friend," Jen paused and sneaked a look at Sam to make sure she wasn't mad, then she continued," And we both know Jake is never going to be the first to apologize so I think you should call him." Sam drew in a sharp breath, "I just can't. If Jake really is a good friend he'll call me. So let's just not talk about him anymore and enjoy our ride." "Ok." Jen said understandingly. Then they dug into the chocolate chip cookies Gram had packed for them.

"Mmmmm….." Sam and Jen both sighed at the same time. The fresh ham and cheese sandwiches and delicious chocolate chip cookies had made the perfect lunch and the two girls were now reluctantly standing to brush the crumbs off their pants before packing the remains into their saddle bags.

Sam was just strapping her saddle bags to her saddle when she heard Jen shout" Look!".

Sam looked in the direction her friend was pointing and gasped. A beautiful herd of wild horses were galloping across the meadow. The Phantom was in the lead, his mane blowing in the wind, and his coat glistened in the sunlight. Sam hadn't seen the Phantom with his herd in over 2 weeks and she was to see he was looking healthy. "Come on," She beckoned to Jen, "I'm gonna try to get some pictures."

Sam and Jen swung into their saddles and Sam guided Ace carefully towards the herd.

As they approached the Phantom slowed and pointed his ears towards her.

"Zanzibar" She whispered . The Phantom was so beautiful when he arched his neck like that and the sun reflected off his coat, so Sam just had to take a picture. The majestic stallion seemed to pose for the camera as Sam took some gorgeous photos. He nickered to her as if to say, "I have to go now." And then he galloped off, leading his herd across the meadow. Sam smiled as she took pictures of the herd. She got one particularly cute shot of a little appaloosa filly.

Suddenly out of nowhere the herd seemed to go from galloping peacefully to looking nervously around them. The Phantom stopped and sniffed the air before starting to circle his herd.

Sam felt Ace shift nervously beneath her and she heard Silly let out a shrill cry behind them. She turned in the saddle to see Jen almost thrown from her saddle. "What's going on?" Jen asked anxiously as she came next to them after calming Silly down. "I don't know," Sam replied looking around, "But there's definitely something spooking them."

All of a sudden Sam heard a shrill cry cut through the air. Ace tensed beneath her and Jen looked at her nervously. Both girls knew what the cry came from. A Cougar. It sounded very close and it made Sam scared to know that it could probably see them but they couldn't see it. This was probably the horses fear too.

Then Sam saw something that sent chills down her spine. The cougar was crouching in the tall grass at the edge of the field and was headed towards the herd. The Phantom seemed to suddenly realize that the cougar was ready to attack and he let out a loud neigh and then spun on his haunches and led his heard running the opposite direction. Ace seemed to panic and before Sam knew it they were in the middle of the heard, running for their lives like wild horses. Ace was a mustang and this was probably why his wild instincts had kicked in. Sam would have enjoyed the freedom of riding with the wild herd if it wasn't for the fact that a cougar was chasing them and she didn't know where they were headed. She felt panic rise in her as she heard Jen's voice shouting in the wind. "Sam!" She heard her friend cry. She was a little worried about her friend riding alone with the cougar but she knew the cougar was chasing the herd and probably wouldn't go back for Jen before she could get back to the ranch.

The herd was still galloping when Sam realized the horses seemed to be turning. Ace was on the outside and didn't notice at first so they kept riding forward until Sam realized why the herd had turned.

There was a cliff just ten feet in front of them! Sam pulled Ace back and he skidded on his haunches, braking to a stop. It all happened so fast that Sam suddenly was flying forward over Ace's head and she landed on the ground with a thud. The next thing she knew it was all black.

Sorry to leave you with a cliffy but I have to cut the chapter somewhere don't I? :P Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I am already working on the next chapter which is going to bring Jake back into the picture. Please review! J J J


	10. Guilty Again

As Sam came to back to consciousness her eyes were still closed and she felt the hard cold ground beneath her. Had she rolled off the side of the cliff? She wondered. She heard two people's voices talking a few feet from her but her head was still too fuzzy to hear who they were or what they were saying. Suddenly her head began to clear and she recognized the two voices as Jake and Jen.

"You should've gotten Wyatt." She heard Jake say to Jen. "How was I supposed to get Wyatt if he wasn't home?" Jen replied argumentively. Jake and Jen were both Sam's friend but they had never been friends with each other due to the fact that they had two very different opinions and they both _knew _they were right. "We shouldn't be wasting time arguing." Jake said, "We need to -" Jake stopped mid sentence as he looked over and saw Sam slowly opening her eyes. "Sam!" Jake and Jen both said at the same time, rushing to her side to see if she was alright. Sam sat up slowly and looked around her and saw that she wasn't off the edge but would be if she moved a few inches sideways.

"Ow!" She exclaimed as she felt a pain shot through her head as she sat up. "Don't try sitting up." Jake told her," You hit your head." "Yeah. I think I know that by the pain in my head." Sam felt like saying. But she didn't, she just rested her head back on the ground and watched as Jake and Jen checked for broken bones. " Does anywhere else besides your head hurt?" Jen asked her. " Oh no. I just got thrown full force over a horses head and the rest of my body feels just dandy." Sam replied sarcastically. She saw Jake give her a hard look so she decided to give them a brake from her horrible sense of humor. "

"I'm pretty sore everywhere but I don't think anything's broken or dislocated." Sam said.

"We got to get her back to the ranch." Jake said looking over at Jen. "And just how do you suppose we are going to do that?" Jen asked him. Sam rolled her eyes at her friends arguing even in this serious situation. "You'll ride back to the ranch and call Wyatt if he's not back yet, and I'll bring Sam back on ranch." Jake stated the solution as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Your not supposed to move people when their injured!" Jen protested, obviously not wanting to be outdone. " I'll be careful. And Sam herself said she didn't think she was injured besides her head." Jake looked at Sam," You think you'll be alright riding with me on Witch?" "I'll be fine!" Sam said getting impatient. Her head was hurting and she was tired and just wished her friends would stop squabbling so she could get home.]

"Alright, ready?" Jake asked her as he helped her stand up. She nodded and looked at Witch, hoping she'd be calm so she could mount easily. Jake helped her mount Witch, who luckily gave them no trouble, and then he swung up behind her. Just as they were crossing the River Bend Ranch bridge Sam's eyelids began to feel heavy and she started to fall asleep. The last she remembered as she fell asleep was Jake handing her down into her Dad's arms and hearing Jake say," She got a bad knock on her head…..again".

It seemed like hours later when Sam finally woke up again. She realized she was in her room , luckily not in the hospital. Her head still ached but barely. She was just sitting up when Gram walked. "I figured you'd be awake soon." Gram said as she sat a bowl of soup on Sam's bedside table. "How are you feeling sweetie? Your Father and Jake and Brynna are down stairs waiting to see how you are. Jen's parents said she had to go home for supper but she'll back to visit tomorrow." "Okay." Sam replied slowly. "Is it alright for I tell them three to come on up?" Gram asked her. "Sure." Sam said.

Sam was wondering if her Dad was going to mad or…..when the three who had been waiting anxiously came in the room. "How you feeling Sweetheart?" Her Dad asked, bending down to hug her. "Pretty good." Sam replied. "Glad your alright, Brat." Jake said giving her a small smile. She was glad neither one of them seemed to mad at her… at least not yet. "The doctor came and checked up on you a few hours ago" Brynna said. "I don't remember that." Sam said. " Well that's probably cause you were half asleep." Jake said with a small laugh. "Anyways," Brynna continued, " You got a bad bonk on the head but you didn't get a concussion so you should be able to back to your normal self within a few days." Sam smiled. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

" But you did go flying off a horse and hit your head again." Wyatt reminded them all seriously. Sam wondered where he was going with this. Was he going to ground her from riding for who knows how long? Or worse… send her back to San Francisco? Her question was soon answered. " I don't know all the details of how this happened, and I _will_ be discussing that with you when your feeling better, but either way you will be grounded from riding for the next month." Her Dad said very sternly. Sam was relieved he wasn't sending her back to San Francisco but she was still angry that he was giving her such a harsh punishment when he hadn't even heard her explanation. " Now don't look at me like that young lady," Wyatt said sternly," It's for your own safety. You've been doing real good the last year, and you've proven yourself to be a real cowgirl but I think you just need to be reminded not to go running off with your crazy ideas without thinking of whether they could half kill you or not." Sam's Dad had said so much at once that she didn't know whether to feel complimented by the first part or offended by the second part.

"Now we better go downstairs and let you rest Sweetheart." Brynna said before leading her Dad out of the room. Sam saw that Jake still remained in the room sitting on a chair a few feet from her bed.

"So, whats up?" Sam asked feeling awkward over the fact that this was pretty much the first time they had spoken since the fight. "Nothin." Jake replied. She should've known she wouldn't get him to talk.

Suddenly Jake spoke up. "I know this was my fault just like the first time." Jake said not looking at her. " I didn't watch you. Again."

Sam didn't know what to say. It had been her fault, and Jake was taking the blame as guilty…Again.

Can't wait for you all to read the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one! So, PLEASE review!JJJJJ


	11. Whatever it takes

_Suddenly Jake spoke up. "I know this was my fault just like the first time." Jake said not looking at her. " I didn't watch you. Again." _

_Sam didn't know what to say. It had been her fault, and Jake was taking the blame as guilty…Again._

Sam was speechless. She hadn't understood why he blamed himself for her last accident but this time she was even more clueless. This time Jake hadn't even been there.

" Jake," Sam said slowly, " Why do you think it was your fault when you weren't even there?"

"That's just it." Jake said, lowering his head, looking like he felt even worse, " The reason it's my fault is because I wasn't there to make sure you didn't get hurt." " I don't need a body guard ." Sam said a bit annoyed but tried not to sound to angry, "I'm 14 years old and I'm not stupid." "I know you're not stupid." Jake said giving her a small smile," It's just that your always putting the horses first and anyways ever since you're accident I've promised myself I'd never let anything happen to you again."

"Jake, It's not your job." Sam replied a bit indignantly, "That's why I have an over protective father."

"Sam, a promise is a promise and I don't intend on breaking the one I made to myself and God." Jake said it so firmly yet softly that it made Sam think. She remembered what Jake had said that day after discussing her accident in Clara's diner not long after Sam had returned from san Francisco, " But the whole way back to River Bend, and the entire trip riding out, leading your Dad to you, I kept promising God that if you weren't dead, I'd watch over you better." Sam would never forget those words or the words he had said a few minutes later similar to what he had just said now," A promise is a promise, Sam. Get used to it. I won't let anyone, including Wyatt, give that horse a second chance to kill you."

What Sam didn't understand is why Jake would go out of his way and waste his time taking care of her. Her, the girl he called "Brat" and the girl who was always bothering him and making immature mistakes that he took the blame for in the end.

She decided to ask aloud, " But Jake, Why is it so important to you to waste your time watching over a "Brat" who's always getting into trouble?" "Because Sam," Jake began, looking her in the eyes,," I've known you forever, You're my best friend. I care about you. And I don't want you to get hurt and I'll do what ever it takes to make sure nothing like your accident ever happens again. " It took Sam awhile to take it all in. For one thing, Jake had just spoken a sentence ten times the length of his usual conversation and second everything he had said had been pretty deep, especially for Jake. After all, last time she had seen Jake, they had been fighting like cats and dogs.

Finally Sam thought of something to say. Something that was like what Jake would usually be saying in this situation, " So we're still friends?" " Yeah." Jake replied back to his one word replies. Then he did a _very un-Jake-like thing. He leaned forward and gave her a warm hug. Sam smiled, so happy to have her quite, over protective but best friend back._


	12. Stuck

The next day Sam was in her bedroom looking out her window. She watched as Jake chased a dark bay filly around the ring. She wished she could be down there sitting on the fence watching Jake work with that horse. But instead she was stuck in her room with nothing to do but eat, sleep, read , and lookout the window. The only good thing that came of it was that she had the week off from school.

Jen had called and told her that she would stop by after school, so at least she'd have some company.

Around 1 o clock Gram brought Sam her lunch and set it on her bedside table. "Gram," Sam protested, "I'm not an invalid. I can go downstairs and eat!" "I'm sorry sweetie," Gram said sympathetically," Your father asked me to do it. I know it must be hard for you to be stuck in your room all day, but at least you'll be going back to school next week." " Yeah, but I still don't get to ride for a month." Sam replied glumly. " Well, the time will go by quicker than you think." Gram said as she headed out the door. "I guess." Sam replied. Then she sat on her bed and ate her lunch.

After a few hours of sitting around in her room feeling bored and lonely Sam heard a soft knock on her door. " Come in!" She called, thinking it was probably Gram. She was surprised to see it was Jake. " Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Jake said looking around the room as if he thought she was hiding something. " Jake, there aren't any wild horses in my bedroom!" Sam said , rolling her eyes. Jake was already being over protective and she wasn't even out of the house. "Okay." Jake replied, still looking weary," Well, your Dad wants you to go downstairs. I think he wants to talk to you about something."" Okay, well see ya tomorrow! " Sam said. "See ya." Jake replied, then left.

Sam wondered what her Dad wanted to talk to her about she headed downstairs. " What's up?" Sam asked. She felt a little nervous when she saw Gram, Brynna , and Dad all seated at the table which usually meant they had something big to tell her. " Sam, I just talked to your Aunt Sue." Wyatt said seriously. " Don't worry, it's not what you think!" Brynna proclaimed , laughing slightly at Sam pale face. "Your Aunt would like to come visit for awhile." Gram spoke up. Sam's shoulders sagged in relief. For a second she had thought her Father really was sending her back to San Francisco. " I figure you'll both enjoy seeing each other and she can can help me keep you out of trouble. " Wyatt said. Sam was excited to see Aunt Sue , and it had been over a year since she had last seen her but she also knew that last time she came to visit her Aunt had been rather over protective and she would be even more so now. Sam thought that was exactly why her Dad wanted her to come.

" So when is she coming?" Sam asked. "She'll be here on Saturday and she said she can stay for a month." Brynna replied. "Wow." Sam said. By then her riding restrictions would be over. A mix of excitement and dread went through Sam as she thought of her Aunt arriving. " Well," she thought to herself," I'll be stuck in the house anyways. I might as well enjoy watching movies and reading with Aunt Sue."

Just then the phone rang and Brynna answered. " Hello!" Brynna paused, " It's for you Sam."

Sam took the phone from her step mom, knowing the caller was Jen.

" Hey!" Jen's voice said into the phone. " Hi!" Sam replied," I've got some news!" " What is it?" Jen asked expectantly. " My Aunt Sue is coming on Saturday and she'll be staying for a whole month!" Sam proclaimed. " Wow!" Jen almost shouted," That is so cool!" " I know!" Sam said," The only thing is I think Dad wants her to come so she can sort of watch over me ." " Well, " Jen said as if calculating the pros and cons," You'll be stuck inside anyways, so you'll at least have company and get to eat junk food, watch movies, and read all day." " I guess so." Sam said half laughing. She was beginning to wonder what the next month was going to be like.


	13. The bagel and Aunt Sue's arrival

Sam woke up Saturday morning and immediately looked at her clock. 7 AM! Aunt Sue was going to be there at 8! Sam rushed to get dressed, throwing clothes in all directions until she finally found the outfit she was looking for. After changing she looked around her room and saw that it was a mess.

"Great." She said to herself," Now I've got a big mess to clean up."

After straightening up her room, Sam went downstairs and sat down for a bagel and orange juice. She she looked at the clock and saw it was now 7: 45. The kitchen was empty since everyone else was outside so Sam just stared at the clock as the minutes dragged by. Finally at 7:50 Sam heard the screen door creaking. She looked around and was surprised to see that not Aunt Sue, but Jake stood in the door way.

" Hey, I just thought I'd keep you company till your Aunt gets here." He said, then added,," Not that I've got anything better to do." Sam just nodded so he sat down in the chair across the table from her.

" So, I guess it'll be nice to have some fun with your Aunt." Jake said, as if he was actually starting a conversation, for once. " Yeah, it'll be fun." Sam replied," But I stay don't get to ride for a month."

" Who knows." Jake said back," Maybe your Dad will let you off the hook early if you don't get into trouble." "Jake do you know something I don't?" Sam asked, narrowing her eyes. " No, no. Just a suggestion." Jake said, holding up his hands as if to say, " It wasn't me." Sam was still suspicious but she gradually un-narrowed her eyes and took a bite into her cream cheese bagel . She took such a large bite that cream cheese was getting on the side of her face and the bagel was crammed in her mouth so far that Sam didn't think she could swallow so much with out chocking and spitting it out in front of Jake un imaginable. Sam knew she looked comical with half a bagel stuck in her mouth and she burst out laughing. (Of course it was more like a chuckle with her mouth closed) . Even Jake started laughing. Seeing Jake laugh so hard made Sam laugh even harder and pretty soon they were both laughing hysterically. Sam was laughing so hard that her half eaten bagel almost fell out of her mouth when the screen door opened and who but Aunt Sue stood staring at them. Sam realized how weird she must look and grabbed her napkin, spit out the bagel, and tossed it in the trash before turning and smiling at her Aunt. " Hi!" Sam exclaimed. Jake cleared his throat to get rid of his laughs and went back to being his quit serious self. " Hi Sweetheart!" Aunt Sue exclaimed, walking over to Sam with a smile on her face. Sam stood up and hugged her Aunt who hugged her back warmly.

After Sam and Aunt Sue had a few sentimental moments greeting they turned to Jake who was still seated at the table, looking a little uncomfortable. " I remember you!" Aunt Sue said warmly, " Your Sam's cowboy friend who works with Wyatt." Jake merely nodded then said politely," Nice to meet you again, Ma'am." Aunt Sue smiled and Jake stood up and looked at Sam before saying," Well, I told your Dad I'd ride out to check the cattle with him. So I'll see ya." " Okay." As soon as Jake walked outside Aunt Sue swarmed around Sam. " I'm so glad your alright!" She said looking Sam over," I was so concerned when I heard about what happened!" " It wasn't that bad." Sam said knowing she wouldn't convince her Aunt. " Now don't even say that, young lady." Her Aunt contradicted," I'm not letting you out of my sight as long as I'm here." " Aunt Sue…." Sam protested. " Now don't even start.." Aunt Sue replied," I plan on keeping you safe while I'm here even though I can't control what you do after I leave." Sam just sighed. " Now let's not talk about that anymore." Aunt Sue said more cheerfully," Let's get my suitcase out and I'll show you some of the cool stuff I brought with me." Sam smiled and they headed upstairs to unpack.

Later that day Sam and Aunt Sue were both having a good time watching movies and eating junk and the hours just flew by. But Sam had to admit they didn't fly by like they did when she was riding.

/After the movie they were watching ended Aunt Sue helped Gram make Supper and Sam helped set the table. Sam was a bit disappointed that all Aunt Sue's junk food had ruined her appetite because When Gram, Aunt Sue, Brynna, Her Dad, Jake and her were all seated at the table, the spaghetti and meat balls sure looked good.

" I'm glad you had a good day today." Wyatt said smiling at them. Jake looked at Sam to see her reaction. " Yeah, I got to watch Flicka." Sam replied. Her Dad chuckled. Flicka was Sam's favorite movie and she took every chance she got to watch it. When the meal was over 'm glad you had fun today." Jake said. " Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Sam said. Then Jake walked out and Sam went to say goodnight to Aunt Sue.


	14. Adventure

Sam was was helping her Gram wash the dishes the a few days later and she couldn't help but reflect on the past days she had spent with her Aunt Sue. For the last week Aunt Sue had made sure that Sam had lots of junk food and they had watched movies and read books together all day. At first Sam had felt like she was on vacation, finally able to relax without any chores, but after awhile all vacations start to make you home sick and even though Sam hadn't left home, in a way she felt like she had. She missed the feeling of running across the yard in to the wind, saying Hi to all the horses in the barn, tacking up Ace, and most of all she missed riding out and see the wild mustangs. Especially the Phantom. She hadn't seen him since the day she flew over Ace's head and she missed him terribly. Of course, every time she mentioned him around Wyatt or Jake they both got over protective. Sam let out a loud sigh.

"Sam, darling what's the matter?" Gram's gentle voice brought Sam back out of her thoughts. "Oh, nothing." Sam replied. Obviously, she didn't sound very convincing. "Well, I have something that might cheer you up." Something about the smile in Gram's voice made Sam turn around eagerly. "What?"

"Well," Gram said as if she was gossiping," Your Father was talking with me this morning and it seems that you'd better go get changed into some jeans and be ready for Jake to pick you up at 2 o' clock."

Try as she could to get it out of her, Gram firmly said that she didn't know anything about where Jake was taking her. So Sam finally ran upstairs and got changed, convinced that whatever the surprise was it had to be something good.

Sam rushed excitedly through getting ready and had been waiting on the porch for Jake 15 mins before he arrived.

Jake pulled up to the front porch with a tomcat smile on his face. "What ya smiling at?" Sam asked, smiling herself. "Oh, It's just good to see ya out again." Jake replied. Sam definitely wasn't gonna get the surprise out of Jake before they got there so she ran around to the other side of the truck and opened the door.

She was just about to get in when Aunt Sue appeared on the porch with a concerned expression on her face, "Where do you think your going Samantha?" "I don't know." Sam replied truthfully. "It's a surprise." Jake cut in. "Does Wyatt know about this?" Aunt Sue asked suspiciously. "Yes ma'am." Jake replied, " He knows all about it." "You can ask Gram." Sam said," She knows too."

"Well, alright." Aunt Sue said wearily," You have a good time sweetie." "She will." Jake said, grinning as he drove the truck away. Now Sam was really curious about what the surprise could be.

Sam's curiosity grew as Jake drove off the road onto the terrain area towards where Jen and her had been riding when the cougar had attacked. "Jake, this is where the cougar was." Jake rolled his eyes. "Sam, were not here to see the cougar. Look." Sam looked and she gasped. "Surprise." Jake said as dramatically as possible for him. Sam had forgotten that this valley had been where she had last seen the Phantom. "He must be living here for now." Sam thought, because about a hundred feet away the herd grazed, keeping weary eyes on the truck. " Oh, Jake!" Sam squealed in a V very un-Sam-like way," This is amazing!" She couldn't believe that Jake would actually drive her out here just to see the Phantom, especially because him and her Dad both seemed to partially blame the wild horse for her last accident and they never had really got over blaming him for her first one. Impulsively, she threw her arms around Jake in a hug. Jake seemed a little uncomfortable but he hugged her back anyways.

Sam enjoyed the time watching the Phantom and his herd run free and graze in the valley and her heart felt warm as she sat around the dinner table with her family and Jake that evening . She felt the happiest she had since the day her Dad had said she was grounded.

The next day Aunt Sue and Sam still ate junk food and watched a couple movies but Sam was grateful that her Dad allowed her to go outside and say hi to Ace that afternoon. Maybe Jake was right, maybe her Dad would let her off the hook early if she didn't get into trouble. And it had already been over a week. Jake had been coming inside every afternoon and it helped Sam feel less bored even though for some reason Aunt Sue didn't seem to like Jake. The Month seemed to be going by faster than Sam expected.


	15. Happy days

Two weeks and four days. Sam couldn't believe that she was over half way through her no riding month and Aunt Sue's visit. In another two weeks there was going to be a bonfire at River Bend before Aunt Sue's departure and Sam was excited. It was almost like a celebration of her freedom. Sam couldn't wait to go on a ride with Jen then they could talk at the bonfire while eating some delicious food.

Sam didn't know how into her thoughts she was until she saw Jake's hand moving in front of her face and heard his voice saying, "Sam, earth to Sam." "Huh?" Sam yelled almost jumping off the porch steps. Jake chuckled as Sam sneered at him. " Almost gave me a heart attack!" Sam exclaimed accusingly.

"What did?" Jake asked smugly. "You!" Sam said pointing at him," Don't you play dumb with me! Waving your hands in my face and yelling!" At this point Jake was laughing so hard that he almost fell on Sam when she socked him in the stomach. Then even Sam started laughing. She didn't even know what was so funny , it just felt good to laugh and see Jake laugh.

Sam and Jake were still laughing just as hard when Aunt Sue appeared on the porch watching them quizzically. "What's so funny you two? " Aunt Sue asked almost suspiciously. " Oh, nothing." Sam replied straightening up from her laughter. " Well, okay." Aunt Sue said," Anyways, Suppers on the table and Jake is invited to stay." With that said Aunt Sue turned around and walked inside. "Well, let's go." Jake said beckoning to the door.

For some reason that night Sam had more of an appetite then she had in the last two weeks. As she dug eagerly into her mashed potatoes something in her Father's voice caught her attention. "Well, I have some news for a certain someone." "Who?" Sam asked curiously. Wyatt sighed as if she was truly not smart, "Sam, that someone is you." He said pointing his fork at her. "Well then what's the news?" Sam demanded. " Well, since you've been so cooperative lately I'm going to take a week off of your grounding." "Really?" Sam asked, excitedly. Aunt Sue's response overlapped hers," Is that really a good idea Wyatt?" " My answer to both of you," Wyatt replied calmly," is yes." Then he got up and walked into the living room. "Well that's great Sam." Jake said genuinely as they were clearing the table," Maybe we'll have to go for a ride on Saturday." " I know." Sam replied happily. "I'll be happy to see you on a horse again." Jake said then added," Cowgirl." Sam just couldn't help but hug Jake. Today had been great.

The next morning Sam was eating her breakfast cheerily. It was Wednesday and on Saturday she would be free from her grounding. She just couldn't wait to ride again and Jake and her were going to head out first thing Saturday morning. The only thing bugging her was Aunt Sue. Her Aunt had been awful quite all the rest of the night after Wyatt had told some "the news". Sam knew her Aunt was concerned about her riding after the recent accident but she had thought her Aunt would at least be happy for her.

Just as Sam was thinking Aunt Sue came walking in with a rather serious look on her face and sat down across from Sam. " Good Morning!" Sam greeted her with a smile. " Good Morning Sam," Aunt Sue replied then paused before going on," Sam, I know your really happy about riding again but I just don't like the idea of you going back to galloping all over the country side with Jake so soon."

" I know Aunt Sue." Sam replied calmly," but I love riding and you don't have to worry about me galloping all over with Jake cause he's hardly likely to even let me lope he's so over protective."

"Well, I guess." Aunt Sue said still looking skeptical," but you be careful sweet heart." "I will." Sam replied. Then she gave her Aunt a hug before clearing her place and getting ready for another day of movies.'


	16. Back in the saddle again!

Finally. That was the first word that came to Sam's mind before she even opened her eyes.

It was Saturday and Sam couldn't wait to saddle up Ace. Jake had tried to convince her to wait until 8 o'clock to ride out but Sam wouldn't budge. She wasn't going to wait a second longer then she had to , to ride again. So, Jake had finally agreed to arrive with Witch at 7:15 and leave at 7:30. As soon as Sam saw the clock she flew out of bed. It was already 6:30 and she had 45 minutes to get dressed, eat breakfast, and tack up ace.

Sam rushed through getting dressed and almost choked on her breakfast before she ran out to the barn. "Hey boy!" She said as she led Ace out of his stall. She hugged his neck in happiness. It felt so good to be with him again. It took Sam 15 minutes to tack up Ace and she tied him to the hitching post while she waited for Jake to arrive.

5 minutes later Sam heard the clatter of hooves coming over the bridge before she saw Jake riding towards her on Witch. "No need to even dismount." Sam said as Jake rode over to the hitching post," I'll just get on Ace and we can ride out." Jake merely nodded. "Great." Sam said under her breath while untying Ace," He's in one of his quiet moods again." Ace nodded as if agreeing with her and Sam laughed before kissing him on the nuzzle. " I missed you boy."

2 minutes later Sam had her left foot in the stirrup and she swung into the saddle. She closed her eyes and took in the good feeling of sitting in the saddle again. Riding a horse was like being on top of the world. Sam and Aunt Sue both shared a passion for movies but nothing could ever top the passion Sam had for horses. Sam let out a deep sigh. Suddenly Sam was aware of Jake's presence again when a small chuckle came from him." You meditating, Brat." He said jokingly. "Yes, actually," Sam said turning towards him with a smile," I'm meditating on the glorious feeling of riding a horse again." Then they both laughed and started riding, their laughter ringing through the air as they crossed the River Bend bridge.

"It's great to see you back in the saddle." Jake said after they had been riding for about 15 minutes then paused before saying," Cowgirl." " Better than Brat." Sam replied with a laugh. Then she had a sudden idea and burst out singing. "I'm Back in the Saddle Again ,Out where a friend is a friend, Where the longhorn cattle feed ,On the lowly gypsum weed, Back in the saddle again!"

Sam and Jake both laughed after they had both finished the chorus. "Well, I would have sang the whole song but I only know the chorus." Sam said and Jake chuckled. "So Jake, I didn't know you sang." Sam teased. " Well I don't usually." Jake said looking a little embarrassed. " Well I won't tell anyone." Sam said, then seemed to rethink it," That is unless you tell anyone about me." "Deal." Jake said with a smile then added," Brat." Sam laughed and since Witch and Ace were walking so close together she leaned over gave Jake a playful punch in the arm and he laughed. They talked good naturedly the rest of the way to the valley where Sam hoped to see the Phantom.

As Sam and Jake rode in to the valley they were surprised to see...nothing. The Phantom and his herd were gone and they had seen no sign of him on the ride.

"That's weird." Sam said. "I know." Jake replied. That really made Sam concerned since Jake really never made a big deal about anything. "What makes you say that?" Sam asked him.

"Well, nothing," Jake said but Sam could tell he was about to say more," Except yesterday I saw Norman White chasing the Phantom and his herd in his helicopter but it seemed like they were getting away and I figured they'd be back here by now." "Jake!" Sam practically screeched as she stared at him in astonishment," How could you not tell me?" "I didn't want to upset you for nothing," Jake replied," I didn't want you to be like you are now." "What do you mean for nothing?" Sam demanded," I have good reason to be upset!" "Yeah, I know." Jake said patiently," But like I said, I figured he'd be back by today." "Well I guess I forgive you." Sam replied. "Thanks" Jake replied. "But we've got to get back quick and get Brynna to take us up to Willow springs!" Sam said then she gave Ace a hard kick and headed for River Bend with Jake following.

At the sound of Ace and Witch's hooves galloping into the ranch yard , both Gram and Aunt Sue appeared on the porch within seconds. "What's happened?" Gram asked as Sam jumped off Ace and threw his reigns at Jake before running towards the two women. " It's the Phantom!" Sam burst out," I think Norman White caught him!..." The rest of Sam's ramblings were to jumbled up and fast for anyone to understand. "Now slow down, Dear," Gram said gently, " Tell what's happened so I can understand it" "She thinks Norman White's caught the Phantom." Jake cut in. "And I have good reason for thinking that!" Sam protested indignantly. "Now Brat, I never said you didn't." Jake said calmly with a slight roll of his eyes. "Now why don't you let Jake explain, Sweetie." Gram said still trying to console Sam. " As long as he doesn't call me Brat." Sam said crossing her arms. Jake just gave her a look before continuing," Yesterday I saw Norman White and his helicopter chasing the Phantom and his herd." "And he didn't tell me." Sam cut in. Jake looked at her annoyed then kept going," I thought they were getting away and I figured they'd be back to the valley by today, but when we got there and they weren't there and we didn't see anything on the way I told Sam here what I saw."

Jake took in a deep breath after letting out this long stream of information and Sam took over," So we have to call Brynna and see if he's at Willow Springs and if he is we have to find a way to set the Phantom AND his herd free!" "Sam dear, that seems quite unrealistic, don't you think?" Aunt Sue said something for the first time since they'd came galloping in. "Well we have to DO something!" Sam yelled overcome with emotion," We can't just let the Phantom be adopted by someone like Linc who's just going to break his spirit! He's meant to be free and he'll stay free! Even if none of you help me I'll make sure he stays free!" With that Sam ran into the house, but not before everyone, including Jake, saw the tears streaming down her face. "All the pain horses cause, I just wish Sam could be protected from it, but obviously she's not." Aunt Sue's words were almost as stinging as the look she gave Jake before he headed outside. Gram just went inside with a sigh.

A.N: I'm uploading two long chapters to make up for the wait, so enjoy and REVIEW!J

Lyrics to Back in the saddle again belong to Gene AutryJ


	17. One drama ends and another one starts

After calming down Sam decided the best thing to do now was call Brynna. So she did. Every dial tone felt like forever while Sam waited for Brynna to answer the phone at Willows springs. But when someone finally did answer the voice was definitely not Brynna's. "Hello. Norman White speaking." The voice said and Sam groaned inwardly. "Hi." She said, trying to sound cheerful and half hoping he wouldn't recognize her voice. Unfortunately, he did. "Hello, Sam." He said irritated. " I was just calling to talk to Brynna." Sam replied. "And just what did you want to talk to her about?" Norman asked suspiciously. "Oh, just a personal matter." Sam answered smartly, Nothing you'd want to hear." "Well alright," Norman said, "Just a moment." After a few minutes and several muffled voices on the other end Brynna's voice finally came through," What is it Sam?" To Sam, it seemed like Brynna sounded less then happy, she already knew what Brynna was going to say and her heart was sinking by the minute. "Umm.. I was just wondering if you know anything about the Phantom?" Sam asked. " Actually, Sam I did hear something about him." Brynna replied seriously," Mr. White saw the Phantom yesterday and he said he looked hurt" . Sam let out an extremely loud sigh. "Sam?" Brynna said. " How bad did it look?" Sam replied, realizing her beloved horse could still be in trouble. "Well Mr. White didn't get too close a look but he was limping and he said it looked like a cut." "Okay." Sam said," What can I do?" "Well," Brynna answered," There's nothing you really can do, he is a wild horse after all. If you see him you can try to see how bad it is but other than that I'm sure he can take care of himself."

After hanging up with Brynna Sam went looking for Jake. She felt so relieved that she thought her legs would go weak beneath. She had to tell Jake, although she doubted he was really worried. He'd probably just be happy if the Phantom wasn't around and he didn't have to always watch her to make sure she didn't go anywhere near the Phantom. But she had to tell him the Phantom was okay so at least he wouldn't be telling his whole family about it.

After searching for Jake all around the ranch and the barn Sam came to the conclusion that he had rode home. So she went inside to call him.

" Hey, Jake!" Sam said cheerfully when Jake's voice said "Hi." "Oh, hey Sam." Jake replied solemnly, "You Ok? I was a little worried. You seemed pretty upset earlier." "Oh, I'm fine,: Sam answered, a little embarrassed about Jake seeing her cry," Actually, I have good news." "What?" Jake asked. "The Phantom hasn't been caught. I called Brynna so he must just be hiding somewhere away from Norman White." Sam spilled out before remembering the bad news," But Brynna did say Norman White saw a cut on his leg." "Well I'm glad he's okay." Jake said, sounding as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. " But what about the cut?" Sam asked concerned. "He'll be fine Sam," Jake said calmly," He's a wild horse." "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Sam said. And they both hung up.

The next day Sam was playing with Blaze on the front porch when Jen came riding over the bridge on Silly." Hi!" Sam called. "My Mom said I could come over and be the first to ride with you now that your ungrounded." Jen smiled. "That's great!" Sam replied happily, not bothering to mention that Jake had actually been the first since she knew it would only make Jen hate Jake more than she already did. " Just let me saddle up Ace!"

Sam quickly tacked up Ace and the two girls started their ride. "So, are you excited about the bonfire on Saturday?" Jen asked, clearly excited herself. "Yes!" Sam brightened," It'll be great. Except for the fact that Rachel's gonna be there. But then again we can have fun anyways." "You bet." Jen replied confidently then said," Want to race across the valley?" "Sure!" Sam responded enthusiastically. Then they were off at a gallop, Ace and Silly's tails streaming like banners. Sam hadn't galloped like this in awhile, she hadn't even rode for three weeks. It was so exhilarating that she tilted her head back and let out a joyful,"Woohoo!" Jen smiled over at her and they slowly reigned their horses in.

"Well, I guess we better start back." Jen said, looking up at the sky that had now began to look dark and angry. "'d better." Sam noticed how much darker the clouds were then normal and wondered what it meant. She also noticed the way Jen's face looked, as if something terrible was chasing them. Sam kicked Ace to get him going faster although he seemed to already be trying to get home fast.

The wind had started to howl mysteriously, almost like a pack of lonely wolves, Sam thought. It had also started to rain, not to hard but hard enough to chill Sam as the rain drops soaked through her thin western blouse. "Hurry!' Jen shouted at Sam above the wind as they got closer to the bridge that led into the ranch. Sam thought she had never seen such a scared look on Jen's face. The clouds began whirl fiercely as if they were holding back something terrible as the two girls trotted on against the wind.

"Sam! Sam!" Sam jerked her head up at the sound of someone's voice and wind and rain hit her in the face. "Did you hear that?" Jen asked edging Silly closer to Ace. Sam thought Jen looked close to tears. The two of them had been pushing the horses through the mud and against the wind and rain for twenty minutes and still it seemed the bridge was barely in site. "SAM!" This time the voice was so desperate and loud that Sam managed to hear the direction it was coming from and she knew the voice was familiar but she couldn't quite place who it was. "HELLO!" Jen's scream brought Sam out of her trance and she realized she should be calling out too. "HELLO!" Sam yelled as loud as possible but still seemed like the wind was sweeping in and carrying the sound of her voice into the sky where whoever was looking for her couldn't hear.

"Let's yell help as loud as we can together." Jen said bringing out the in control part of her Sam was the most familiar with. "Okay." Replied. When the storm had started she hadn't realized how serious it was but now she was so scared she didn't know what she'd do if they weren't found. "1-2-3!" Jen counted and Sam breathed in a deep breath of wet windy air,"HEELLLPPP!" Sam screamed at the top of her lungs at the same time as Jen. "Sam? Sam, is that you?" A voice said. Sam sighed deeply.. Whoever it was had heard them and wasn't far. "We're here!" Sam yelled out a response. "Look!" Jen yelled at her in a raspy voice. Sam looked where her friend pointed and saw a dark figure riding towards. She squinted her eyes to try to see through the wind, flying objects, and rain. Finally when the person on the horse was 10 feet away she made out who it was. But Jen gasped. Jake rode towards them bareback on Witch but Sam could see why Jen hadn't recognized him. Jake's hair had been blown completely out of it's tie and was flying wildly in the wind and he was wearing a long black rain coat that looked quite creepy. And on top of it all Jake had a serious panicked yet focused look on his face that Sam had never seen before. Yes, Sam could see why her friend hadn't recognized him, Sam could barely recognize him herself.


	18. The storm continues

_Jake rode towards them bareback on Witch but Sam could see why Jen hadn't recognized him. Jake's hair had been blown completely out of it's tie and was flying wildly in the wind and he was wearing a long black rain coat that looked quite creepy. And on top of it all Jake had a serious panicked yet focused look on his face that Sam had never seen before. Yes, Sam could see why her friend hadn't recognized him, Sam could barely recognize him herself._

" You both alright?" Jake asked Sam and Jen, but they didn't have a chance to answer before a huge clap thunder rumbled the earth and lightning split the sky, almost touching the desert floor. Seconds later Witch reared up, and for a minute she was afraid Jake's horse would fall backwards onto him, but instead he fell off just before the mare's landed back on the ground. "Jake?" Sam screeched. She was lucky that She had been able to keep Ace under control and she was relieved when Jake got up, grunting and wiping off his cowboy before putting it back on. Sam almost laughed. Jake was a true cowboy, no matter what was happening he always had to have his Cowboy hat on.

Sam looked over at Jen while Jake was struggling to mount Witch, and saw that her friend was shivering and looking very unlike the brave outspoken Jen she knew. " You okay Jen?" Sam asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine," Jen replied, "We just need to get home. And fast." "Your right about that." Jake said, now in the saddle. And Sam knew that it took a lot to make Jake agree with Jen. "Come on." Jake said, looking up at the swaying trees around them nervously," We need to get into shelter before ….." "Before what?" Sam asked him wondering what Jake had been about to say. She looked over at Jen and the concerned on her face made Sam think she knew what Jake was going to say and was worried too. "Let's just get back to the ranch." Jake said seriously. Then they proceeded forward against the wind. And Sam hoped they would get back to the ranch, safe.

20 minutes later Sam, Jake, and Jen were safe inside the ranch house. Soaking wet but safe.

After the three of them each got washed up and changed into clean dry clothes they went downstairs to discuss what they were going to do. After all it was just the three of them with no electricity or telephone and they couldn't leave the house in the storm. " So, where'd Dad and everyone go?" Sam asked Jake who gave her a disgusted look as water from her hair that she was towel drying flew in his face and soaked the back of the couch behind him. " Your Gram and Aunt Sue wanted to go to town and Wyatt took them. They probably didn't see the storm coming." He paused before adding" And I'm guessing Dallas, Pepper and Ross are in the bunkhouse." "Oh." Sam responded surprised but grateful for this flow of information," So how'd you end up looking for me if Dad didn't send you?" "I decided to head over and see if you wanted to go for a ride since everyone at my house was obsessed with how to fix the TV and Witch was acting antsy." Jake paused .

" Go on." Sam urged. "So, " Jake continued slowly, "I rode over here and didn't see you around outside or in the barn so I checked inside. I saw the note from your Gram saying they'd left and I looked around the house and didn't see you and I hadn't seen Ace in the barn so I figured you just went out for a ride." Jake finished as if the story was over. "So how'd you end up out there then?" Sam asked impatiently, gesturing towards the stormy outdoors. Jake sighed exasperatedly, " I went outside to wait for you to get back and that's when I noticed the storm. It was coming fast and I realized that if you were out there when it hit you were in trouble, so I went out there to find you, warn you, and help you get home." Jake said it all so humbly but Sam thought he was trying to sound heroic and make her sound like a careless little girl. " And what made you think I couldn't take care of myself, Jake Ely?" Sam demanded, her pride flaring up. " Oh, brat, don't start…" Jake was cut off by Sam's angry voice," Don't you oh, brat me!" Sam huffed," You think your so much smarter than me? Well, I saw the storm coming and we were heading back and would've gotten home fine without you!" Sam said this even though she knew she had really been relieved to see Jake when he came to the rescue, and she didn't know if they would have made it alone. " Now brat, don't be so stubborn! I just wanted to make sure….." No Jake! I'm not the stubborn one! Your….." As Jake and Sam both talked over each their voices grew louder then the storm and they kept arguing until Jen's voice cut in. "Quite!" She shouted so loud it made both Sam and Jake shut up and stare," Listen!" Jen seemed to be listening intently so Sam tried to see if she could hear anything odd. The storm was so loud it seemed that nothing else could be heard. Then, suddenly Sam heard an odd howling sound that seemed to be getting closer and closer. " Is it wolves?" Sam asked dumbly. " No." Jake said briefly and he seemed to be listening intently too. "What is it?" Sam asked anxiously seeing the concerned look on Jake's face. " I had a bad feeling." Jake said, still not answering her question. "So did I." Jen said quietly, looking scared. " What?" Sam almost yelled, feeling panicked that her friends looked so scared and she didn't know what was happening. "It's a tornado." Jen said, stuttering on the word tornado. Sam's eyes widened and she felt all her breath suck in. A tornado. In all the years she had lived there she heard about tornadoes and the damage they did, but she had never actually seen one and her 2 years in San Francisco had made her forgot about it some too. " So what are we going to do?" Sam asked nervously. "We have to get in the basement fast." Jake replied. "What about the horses?" Sam cried, mortified at the thought of what would happen to the horses if the tornado hit. " There's no time!" Jake said, yelling now because of the increasing noise outside," We just have to get into the basement. Fast!" Sam couldn't even imagine losing Ace or any of the other horses. She couldn't let it happen.

"No!" Sam shouted, " We can't just let them get killed! There trapped! It's not there fault they can't get away!" Sam started running towards the door. " Sam PLEASE! No!" Jen cried hysterically.

" SAM!" Jake yelled fiercely. He grabbed her arm just as she opened the front and a blast of air and things that were blowing with it hit her in the face. Jake tugged on her arm. " I have to go!" Sam said desperately. " Sam listen!" Jake insisted, sounding just as desperate," Your more important then the horses! It's not that I don't care about the horses, I just care about you more. I'm not going to let you do something this crazy." Jakes words hit home just as Sam looked at Jen's face that now had tears rolling down her cheeks at the thought of losing her best friend and Sam realized what a risk she was taking. "Ok." Sam said sorrowfully, closing the door," We better hurry into the basement."

The three teens reached the basement just before a huge rumbling went over the house. Sam couldn't help but cry over the thought of what she knew she would see when they went back upstairs.

Chapter 18 The storm continues! :o


	19. The Aftermath

_**The three teens reached the basement just before a huge rumbling went over the house. Sam couldn't help but cry over the thought of what she knew she would see when they went back upstairs. **_

"**I'm so sorry Sam!" Jen sobbed. Sam realized she was in shock. She just couldn't believe it was all gone. The tornado had sounded like a big one and if it hit the house it surely would have hit the barn. Ace and all the horses inside would be injured terribly.. And Sam knew the truth was that a lot of them were probably killed. She now realized that the tornado had hit so fast that if she would have gone out in the storm she wouldn't have had time to save the horses anyways and she would have been in the barn when it collapsed. And she knew deep down that Jake was right… her life was more important. **

"**We better not go up until the storm passes completely." Jake said solemnly. Sam just nodded. She shivered and a sob escaped her. Jake gave her a gentle hug and the three of them sat in silence and waited for the storm to pass.**

" **Sam…Sam wake up." Sam felt someone nudge her shoulder and heard a voice that she slowly distinguished as Jake's. "I'm up. I'm up. " Sam said before even opening her eyes," What are you doing in my room anyways?" " Umm…" Jake cleared his throat uncomfortably," Sam your not in your room." **

**Sam's eyes flashed open and she took in her dark surroundings. Then it all came flooding back. **

" **Oh. I remember." Sam said, ducking her head to hide the tears that were threatening to flow.**

" **We need to go up and see…." Jake's voice trailed off. " O-okay." Sam stuttered. "It'll be alright." Jen said sympathetically. The two girls followed Jake solemnly as they walked up the basement steps.**

**Jake's hand paused on the door knob," Are you for this Sam?" He asked softly. Sam nodded slowly. Jen took Sam's hand in hers as Sam prepared herself for the blast of cold air that would most likely greet them and for the sight they would behold. But Sam didn't expect what she was about to see.**

**Jake turned the knob and opened the door slowly and Sam gasped when her eyes took in what she was seeing. " Oh oh my gosh!" She stuttered. In front of them was… The hallway! "I don't know how it can be." Jake murmured as they walked through the rest of the house to make sure it was still standing. The worst there was were a couple broken windows. **

"**Let's check outside." Jen said, but then seemed to regret when she realized what they could find. **

"**We have to do it sometime." Sam said bravely. So they slowly made way to the front door and stepped out onto the porch. They were all amazed at what they saw. **

**The barn was still standing and looked to have no major damage and everything else seemed fine other than various objects that were blown around the yard. **

"**It's a miracle!" Sam exclaimed in joy. "I know!" Jen sang out excitedly, a smile spreading across her face. Then the two of them started hugging and dancing in circles in glee. Sam looked at Jake saw that he had an awestruck look on his face. "Oh, Jake! Isn't this great!" Sam said, grinning. " What's so exciting brat? Nothin's new. Just the same old river bend ranch." Jake joked. But by the huge tom cat grin that spread across his face, Sam could tell he was just as relieved as they were. "It's never felt so good to be home." Sam said, giving Jake a big hug. " Group hug!" Jen exclaimed running towards them giddily. Jake grunted as Jen jumped in and wrapped her arms around them both like a mother hen. Then they all laughed.. Sam thought laughter had never felt so good.**

**After having their small celebration Sam, Jake, and Jen checked on the horses. They were relieved to see they were all fine. "Oh, Ace." Sam said letting out a deep sigh of relief to be able to hug her horse again," I'm so glad your all right." After feeding the horses and spending 15 minutes searching for blaze who was finally found hiding in a far corner of the tack room under a saddle, they decided to clean up the yard. " ya know, it's kinda funny," Sam said as she picked up a piece of wood with nails sticking out of it," All this has happened while Dad, Gram and Brynna are gone and when they get back it will be just like how they left it." Jake chuckled and Jen smiled. After all it was a good thing it would be the same as they left it.**

**After spending two hours picking up all the miscellaneous blown around junk that was everywhere Sam looked at her watch and saw that it was now 10 Am. She figured that her Dad, Gram, and Brynna had spent the night in town because of the storm, but she also figured they should be home anytime. **

**They had worked so hard that by the time the three of them went inside to grab a bite to eat everything was almost **_**exactly as it had been before the storm. **_

" _**I don't know when a ham and cheese sandwich has tasted so good." Jen sighed as bit into her sandwich. Sam nodded in agreement since her mouth was crammed full. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now, but now that she thought about it , she hadn't had anything to eat since before her and Jen rode out the day before. That had been…, well Sam didn't really feel like counting all the hours since then. " You know what?" Sam said, as she swallowed a large bite of sandwich," Everything's back to normal, so we could almost not tell Dad about everything that happened. I mean it would just make him worry." They only response Sam got was a look from Jake that clearly said," Don't even think about it." **_

_**Sam shrugged and took a sip of her soda when she heard a car pull up. She jumped up from the table and ran outside, Jen and Jake following. **_

"_**Hi!" Sam called out as Wyatt, Gram, and Brynna got out of the car. "Hi! Sweetheart." Wyatt said, giving her a hug," How was your night?" " Did the storm hit here?" Gram asked as Sam came over and hugged. " We heard it was pretty nasty." Brynna remarked worriedly. "Well…" Sam began , helping Brynna with one of her bags and took a glance at Jake. His look told her to go on." Well, It's a long story. Why don't we go inside?" Then the whole group walked inside as questions were shot at Sam and she began to tell the story, in as little detail as possible. There was one thing she knew for sure… She was sure grateful for a=everything she had and her friends who helped her through everything… even when she was a little crazy.**_


	20. Who would miss me?

It was Friday and Sam was grateful for a few minutes of quite time alone in her room. After telling Wyatt, Gram, Brynna , and Aunt Sue about the eventful day before they had begun well… torturing her, for lack of a better word. Wyatt had told her she couldn't go riding outside of the ranch for a few days, Gram and Brynna poured sympathy on her and asked her all kinds of questions. And Aunt Sue, worst of all, gave her a long lecture about how she thought not only horses, but ranch life too, were putting her at risk.

Sam thought everything would have been fine if she would have just told them all that the storm was coming so they all went in the basement and came back up when it passed, safe and sound. End of story.

But no, Jake had to go and open his big mouth, which he seemed to use more talking about her than to her, and he went and told everyone about him rescuing Sam and Jen from the storm. Oh, he said it so humbly with comments like "Well they probly woulda made it on their own." and "I was just out riding and stumbled upon em." But Sam knew between the lines he was trying to make himself look like Mr. Heroic. And he was the reason everyone was swarming around her like they thought she was an irresponsible child.

" We probably wouldn't have made it through the storm without Jake." Sam admitted to herself. But she also knew that it wasn't because she was "irresponsible" that Jake had to "rescue" her. It was because sometimes things just happen. Her and Jen had no idea the storm was going to hit when they rode out, and they had done their best to get home safely.

Sam sighed deeply. At least she had the bonfire to look forward. She just knew it was going to be fun. At that thought, Sam remembered that she was supposed to be downstairs helping Gram with the food. So she got up off her bed and slowly made her way downstairs.

"Sam, Darling. There you are." Gram greeted her from where she was rolling dough on the counter.

" Need some help?" Sam asked. "You can make the salad." Gram replied," You'll need to make three large bowls." Gram handed her the ingredients and Sam raised her eyebrows, "Wow. That's a lot of salad. How many people are coming tomorrow?" "Just all the neighbors." Gram responded, "But you know the Ely's are a big family and your Aunt Sue insisted we have enough Salad for everyone to have plenty." Just when Sam was about to reply Aunt Sue walked in with a serious look on her face. "Sam, I've been upstairs, thinking, and I have something serious I'd like to talk to you about.' "Okay." Sam replied, giving Gram a questioning look which she replied to with a shrug.

Sam followed Aunt Sue into the living room and sat down on the big cozy chair while her Aunt took a seat on the couch. "Now, Sam," Aunt Sue began, almost sternly," I'm going to talk to your Father about this, but I decided to talk with you first." The way Aunt Sue said it made Sam think that she was giving her more of a warning then asking her opinion about something.

"What did you want to tell me?" Sam asked, trying to stay cheerful, although truthfully, she was dreading what her Aunt would say. " Well, Sam. I'm just going to get right to the point." Aunt Sue began," I've seen the way your living, and I don't want you to end up like my sister, your Mother." "What's wrong with the way I'm living?" Sam demanded, bristling at the remark. Her Aunt seemed exasperated. "Can't you see, Sam?" Aunt Sue exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air," Getting chased by Cougars, bucked off horses, Riding in the middle of a storm, and worst of all having a "bond" with a WILD horse!"

Sam couldn't believe her Aunt was attacking her lifestyle in such a way. " I love living on a ranch. I love riding. And me and the Phantom DO have a bond and I want him to stay free. But none of that is wrong!" Aunt Sue sighed. "Sam, there are so many risks out here." Aunt Sue said, trying to sound calm, " And sometimes your just to much like your Mother, Always putting the animals first."

" I do care about animals. A LOT." Sam defended herself," But I'm trying to be more careful and there are risks in everything. I love my life her!" "Sam, Sam," Aunt Sue seemed to be getting impatient," Don't you remember how it was when you stayed with me in San Francisco? You had a normal life without all the risks you have her. It seems here brings out the worst in you. And I was hoping to get you to agree before I talked to your Dad, but I have to do what's best for you, so I'm going to talk to your Father about sending you home with me, and If he knows what's best for you he'll agree."

At this, Sam jumped to her feet, horrified. " My life wasn't any more normal there then it is here! And there are just as many risks in the big city as here!" Sam paused for a moment to think," You could get murdered! And the truth is here brings out the BEST in me!" With one last look at her Aunt's shocked face, Sam turned around and ran towards the door, tears threatening to pour from her eyes.

" Oh, Ace," Sam sobbed," I'm never going to leave you!" Sam didn't know what she would do if she was in the city, where she wouldn't have Ace's mane to cry into, she wouldn't have her Dad, Brynna, Gram, Jen, or Jake. Just imagining it made Sam cry harder. Suddenly Ace seemed to perk up and Sam heard footsteps walking down the barn aisle.

Sam hurriedly brushed the tears from her eyes as the steps approached. " Hey brat," Jake's casual voice spoke from behind her," What's up?" "Not much.." Sam replied, trying not to look at him for fear he'd see that she'd been crying. She knew Jake was probably trying to make up for telling everyone about what had happened in the storm. "You mad at me, brat?' Jake asked abruptly. "No." Sam said slowly. "Sorry about telling on ya." Jake replied remorsefully. Sam smiled. When Jake Ely apologized it was a true compliment.

Sam turned around to give Jake a hug. "Thanks." She replied. "Hey," Jake said worriedly, looking at her tear stained face," What's the matter?" Sam knew Jake hated to see her cry. She ducked her head so he couldn't se her face. "What happened?" Jake asked, sounding worried. "It's Aunt Sue!" Sam said, starting to cry but quickly swallowed her sobs. "What about her?" Jake asked slowly. "She's going to ask Dad to send me to San Francisco with her!" Sam exclaimed sadly. "Do you think he'll say yes?" Jake asked, looking scared. "I'm really afraid he will!" Sam replied, "After everything that's happened lately. " "I'm so sorry Sam." Jake said sadly. "I bet you won't even miss me!" Sam cried out, instantly regretting it. " Why wouldn't I?" Was all Jake responded, but Sam could see a hurt look on his face. " It's just that you always worry about me. You'll probably be better off, knowing I'm safe and you don't have to worry." Sam replied.

"Sam, you're my best friend and I worry about you because I care about you." Jake said seriously," But I know you wouldn't be happy anywhere but here, and I would miss you awful if you left." "I know." Sam said," It just hurts thinking about leaving." Then she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and Jake leaned forward to give her a hug, trying to comfort her.


	21. What is reality?

Sam was glad to know somebody would miss her if she left. She felt embarrassed crying as Jake hugged her, but she knew he rarely was a hugging person and it felt good to have someone who understood her sorrow. " Sorry." Sam mumbled looking at the wet spot her tears had left on Jake's shirt.

"No problem." Jake replied, looking slightly embarrassed himself. She leaned in to give Jake one last hug when she heard footsteps coming towards them. Sam sighed. She knew it was her Dad and she was dreading what he would say.

"Sam?" Wyatt said as he walked over to them. Sam quickly wiped her eyes. Wyatt looked at Sam and Jake, with a puzzled look on his face. Sam wondered what he was looking at and then realized they must be a strange sight. After all, Jake hardly ever hugged anyone, he didn't like seeing her cry, and it just seemed a very unlikely situation for her to be crying while Jake hugged. The thought made Sam blush for a moment.

Then Wyatt cleared his throat, "Sam, I need to talk to you." "Okay," Sam replied quietly. She knew what he was going to say and she didn't know if she could handle hearing it. Her Dad gestured for her to follow him, and with one glance at Jake, she did.

"Your Aunt Sue has been talking to me," Wyatt began, "And she has asked me if I would send you to San Francisco with her." Sam just lowered her head, trying to hide the sorrow on her face. "Well, do you have anything to say, Sam?" Wyatt asked. Sam shot her heard up," Of course I do!" She cried angrily," You can't just plan my life for me! I love it here and it isn't a "risk" to live here! I can't believe you would do this to me!" "Sam," Her Dad said calmly," I never said I was going to send you to the city." "Oh." Sam responded, shocked. "I only wanted to know what you thought." Wyatt said, "But I figured you wouldn't want to go." "So, I don't have to go?" Sam asked, hope rising inside of her "You don't have to go as long as you promise to be more careful." Wyatt replied, smiling. " I promise!" Sam cried, joyfully hugging her Dad. She couldn't wait to tell Jake, she felt bad for getting him worried over nothing.

"Sam, It's time for supper." Gram called as Sam ran towards the front door happily.

"Okay!" Sam called back as she raced outside," I'm just gonna get Jake." Sam looked for Jake in the barn and around the barn and didn't find him or Witch. "Have you seen Jake?" Sam asked Dallas, as she walked into the tack room. "Yah, he just left for home 'bout ten minutes ago. Looked pretty bummed out about something." Dallas replied, still shining his saddle. "Thanks!" Sam called, racing out of the barn.

She ran into the kitchen. "Gram!" She almost screamed. "Land sakes, child. What is it?" Gram said hurrying into the kitchen. "Where's Dad?" "He's in the living room with Brynna. What's the emergency?" Gram replied. " I told Jake that Dad was going to send me to San Francisco and he was pretty down about it and now I know I can stay and I have to tell him so he doesn't worry! So I gotta ask Dad if I can ride after him." Sam said all at once. Gram looked completely baffled but only said, " Well why can't you just call him on the telephone?" "Because the phone lines aren't fixed yet." Sam replied, still hurriedly. " Well, do you really think it will hurt the boy to wait till tomorrow?" But by now Sam was already running in the living room to ask her Dad.

After much persuasion from Sam, Wyatt still came to the same conclusion as Gram. Jake could wait to hear it till the next day. And he went on to say that if Sam didn't want him worried she should have never jumped to conclusions and told Jake in the first place.

That night Aunt Sue was very quite, obviously hurt by the whole days events. Sam felt sorry for her Aunt in some ways, but she was still angry about all the things she had said. But most of all, Sam was happy to be able to stay at the ranch.

That night Sam slept well but in her sleep she had a strange dream. In the dream Jake came over and invited her to go on a ride. But before they could leave, Aunt Sue came in and started to tell Jake to leave. Jake then started t head out the door, but Sam stopped him. "Why do you want him to leave?" The dream Sam cried. "Him and all the others are the reason you want to stay in this wretched country!" Aunt Sue replied. "That's not how it is! I love it here! And I do love the people here too!" Sam responded. But before Aunt Sue could say anything else, the scene changed. Now Sam was riding with Jake and it was night. She felt herself wondering why she would be riding through the dark with Jake, in her nightgown.

"Where are we going Jake?" Sam's dream voice whispered. "To see the Phantom." He replied calmly. Sam only nodded and smiled. Finally they reached the Phantoms secret valley. "I didn't know you knew about this!" Sam gasped. "I know more than you think." Jake said, smirking.

"Oh, really?" Sam responded playfully. Just then, they were interrupted by the Phantom's presence. "Zanzibar." Sam whispered under breath. The majestic horse whinnied a hello. Then he turned back to his herd. "I'm surprised you would bring me here Jake." Sam said softly. "Well, sometimes people surprise you," Jake continued," And sometimes the ones you east expect care more than you think." Sam was thinking about Jake's words when suddenly the Phantom came loping towards them. He reared up in front of them and gestured for them to run. He seemed to be warning them of danger. Then everything went black.

Suddenly Jake was gone and though Sam was still in the dream it seemed to have changed. Now she was standing on the front porch, just like the day her and Jake had been arguing and Jake's words kept repeating themselves over and over again. "You're the one who doesn't get anything Sam." "You're the one he doesn't get anything Sam" Then the scene was changed again and her and Jake were in the barn and she heard Jake's voice. . " I would miss you something awful if you left." Now Sam felt a terrible sorrow soar through and she saw wild horses running away from a Cougar and Jakes words going back and forth in her head. "Jake!" She cried out as sobs tore through her. She didn't know what happening and she was scared.

Sam slowly began to wake although she still cried but slowly she opened her eyes and realized it was all a dream. She let out a shaky sigh as she sat up and pulled her sweaty hair away from her face. What could it have meant?

Then suddenly a voice cut through the still air of her bedroom," Sam?" Sam thought she must have jumped ten feet into the air before her butt finally landed back on the bed. "Sam, are you alright?" Sam recognized her Dad's voice and as her eyes adjusted to the dark she saw that he was sitting on the char next to her bed looking at her concerned. "I'm fine Dad. It was just a bad dream." Sam replied, looking at her bedside clock to see it was 4 Am. She had to get up in two hours. "We were all a bit worried about you Sam. The way you were screaming, I swear Jake could hear you calling his name all the way from Three Ponies." Brynna said half jokingly from where she was standing in the doorway. Great, Sam thought, everyone had heard and they probably were really going to wonder about her now. She was even more upset when she saw who else was standing in her doorway. " This is exactly what concerns me." Aunt Sue said," It's not normal for a child to be screaming in her sleep. Especially when she's screaming about wild horses and boys." "This isn't normal for Sam." Wyatt replied, surprisingly defensive. "You all!" Sam interrupted, "I'm really tired. It was just a bad dream. I'll be fine!" "Well, I guess we can all go back to bed now," Wyatt said," But we WILL be talking about this tomorrow." Then, with one last worried glance at her, everyone went back to bed.

But Sam stayed awake for awhile wondering what the dream could mean.


	22. Sorting things out

After only 4 hours of sleep, Sam got up and walked downstairs. "Morning Sam." Brynna said as Sam down across from he at the table. "Morning." Sam replied, absent mindedly. "Do you want a bagel, Sweetheart?" Gram asked. "Sure." Sam replied. She still couldn't understand what her dream could have meant. Somehow, to her the part about Jake made her think something was wrong with Jake. But she couldn't think of what it could be. Maybe he was worried about her leaving. She had to tell him as soon as he got there that she wasn't leaving.

"Earth to Sam!" Brynna's voice cut through her thoughts. "Oh, sorry." Sam said, coming out of her trance. "Are you alright? Your Dad wants to talk to you, he's in the barn." Brynna said. "Okay." Sam replied. Then after finishing her bagel she headed outside.

" Hey, Dad." Sam said as she walked into the barn and saw Wyatt talking to Dallas. "Hey." Her Father replied as Dallas walked outside. "I wanted to talk to you about last night." He said seriously. Sam nodded. "Would you mind telling me what happened in your dream that made you so upset?" Wyatt asked. "Uhhh…" Sam begun, blushing slightly. It wasn't that the dream was something really embarrassing to repeat, it was just a little weird. Sam looked up to see her Father looking at her, still expecting an answer. "It just made me think something was wrong with Jake." Sam said quickly. "Well it sure don't look like there's anything wrong with him." Wyatt said, looking past Sam.

Sam turned around to see Jake walking into the barn. "Hey!" Sam called . "Hey brat." Jake replied glumly as Wyatt walked away. "Well my Dad talked to me yesterday." Sam said. "I figured." Jake said quietly. "And he said…." Sam paused for a dramatic effect and Jake looked up at her expectantly," I don't have to go!" As Sam finished she jumped up and down clapping her hands. Jake didn't display his joy quite so vividly, but his face did transform into a big "tomcat" grin.

As Jake and Sam walked into the house together, Sam still wondered what the dream had meant. Something about the thought of Jake and the Phantom being in danger made Sam terrified. It was just a dream…. Or did it mean something?

Sam hadn't talked to Aunt Sue since the night before and she didn't know what to say when her Aunt sat next to her at the lunch table. So, Sam tried to talk to Jake, who sat on her other side, but being Jake, he didn't cooperate much. Finally, Sam just stared at her food and focused on eating.

At last, Aunt Sue spoke up. "So you've decided to stay, have you Sam?" "Umm. Yes." Sam answered surprised by the question. Then they both were quite until after lunch.

After lunch Aunt Sue brought Sam into the living room and Sam could tell she had something she was say. "Sam, I just want to tell you," Aunt Sue began slowly," I may not agree with your decision but I'm sorry I tried to take away your right to decide." "I forgive you." Sam said softly. Then they hugged briefly and Sam was glad that her and Aunt Sue were on good terms now.

Sam had almost forgotten about the bonfire because of all the chaos, but when her Father reminded her she called Jen to see when she was coming over. Maybe, just maybe they go for a ride before the bonfire.

"Hey Jen," Sam said happily as her friend answered the door. "Hi!" Jen responded, obviously, excited. Sam was about to ask when Sam said just what was on her mind. "My parents said I could come over early for a ride!" Jen blurted. "That's great!" Sam exclaimed," I was just going to ask!" "I'll be there soon!" Jen said. Then they both said goodbye and hung up.

40 minutes later Jen showed up and Sam hadn't tacked Ace up yet, so they both walked into the barn together. "Where ya' goin'?" Jake asked as Sam brought Ace out of his stall. "Me and Jen are going for a ride." Sam explained," We'll be back before the bonfire." "See ya then." Jake replied, walking away with a piece of straw in his mouth. A few minutes later Ace was tacked up and the two friends were talking and riding.

" So, what's new?" Jen asked casually. "A few things." Sam replied, then told Jen all about the previous days activities. Then she thought about the dream.

She had figured out that the Phantom wasn't in danger because he had been warning THEM and something in her just told her he'd be okay. But Jake is what stumped her. So she decided to ask Jen what she thought. She told her friend everything that had happened in the dream including her thoughts and feelings about it. "Hmmm…" Jen thought for a minute," I'd say that the dream was a way of warning you to be careful. Not that something is going to happen to Jake but to prevent." "What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused," What am I supposed to do to keep Jake from getting hurt?" "I don't think it's a warning of Jake getting hurt physically." Jen said. "Then a warning of what?" Sam asked, puzzled. She appreciated Jen's intelligence in situations like this. "I think the dream is trying to tell you that Jake might care more than you think and you take it as him being like controlling, but maybe you shouldn't take him for granted." Jen said, truthfully. It was a lot for Sam to take in but somehow what Jen made sense. Maybe she should appreciate Jake. If she thought about it, Jake really had done a lot for her, and despite his overprotective streak he truly was a good friend.

Now that Sam knew what the dream meant, Sam felt slightly better and she was truly looking forward to the bonfire. When her and Jen got back from their ride they both went inside to help Gram, Brynna, and Aunt Sue get the food ready, and pretty soon their friends would be there.


	23. Author's NoteImportant!:

I'm so sorry I haven't posted a new chapter in so long! I have actually been working on writing a book that I want to publish in the next 6 months. But I've been having some writers block lately, so I thought I'd take a break from it and finish this story! So I am planning to have a few more chapters and I promise the next chapter will be up in the next couple of days! PLEASE review with any ideas you have! Thanks!J


	24. What hurts the most

Alright, Here is chapter 23! Hope you like and PLEASE review!J

Sam, Brynna, Gram, and Jen were setting up fold up tables around the yard when Jake's truck pulled into the drive. All five Ely boys came piling out. "Hey Jake!" Sam called as she finally spotted him in the midst of his swarm of siblings. Jake waved and walked towards her. "Hey, brat." Jake replied as he approached her. "So where are your parents?" Sam asked. "Their riding over." Was Jake's short reply. "Well, Gram's got plenty of pie for all!" Sam said cheerfully," This is gonna be a fun night!" "Not if you keep shouting like an idiot." Jake responded grumpily. What was up with him? Sam thought. She wasn't even shouting, maybe her voice was just a little excited but that wasn't anything to get all moody over. "Well your not going to get any pie if you don't change your mood." Sam teased with a playful punch, maybe she could cheer him up.

"Whatever, Brat." Was all Jake replied before walking away. Sam through her hands in the air with frustration. Jake had been happy about her staying at River Bend last time she'd seen him. Now he was in a totally bad mood. What could have upset him enough to have such a major change of attitude?

"What's up with Jake?" Jen asked, as her and Sam set a couple of pies on the table a midst other delicious foods. "I don't know." Sam answered," But whatever it is, he needs to get over it." Jake hadn't said a thing to her yet, and Sam had been planning to talk to him at the bonfire about her dream, but now she wasn't so sure he was in the mood for a conversation that took more than one word sentences. "Well, good luck with your conversation." Jen said almost sarcastically," It looks like Jake Ely isn't planning on speaking tonight." Sam gave her a look that said," That didn't help." and Jen apologized," Sorry I really do feel bad for you Sam." Sam just sighed.

"Sam, Honey were about to eat!" Gram called from downstairs," Are you coming?" Sam hadn't felt like talking to anyone since she had met Jake's new "mood". She was laying on her bed thinking. What she was thinking about was away to cheer Jake up, or at least get him to talk. "I'm coming Gram!" She called as she jumped out of bed and grabbed her jean jacket from her bed post. She might as well enjoy the bonfire, whether Jake talked to her or not.

It was 8 o'clock and it was almost dark. Sam and Jen were sitting next to each other by the fire and Jake was sitting across from them, staring in to the flames, not even glancing at Sam. The adults had all spread out around the yard and were talking about things that were of no interest to the kids. So now it was just Jen, Sam and Jake and the other five Ely brothers were on the other side of the circle. "So what do you want to do?" Sam asked , addressing both Jen and Jake, although she knew Jake wouldn't respond, "I mean bonfires are supposed to be fun." "I guess we could play truth or dare." Jen said, sounding bored. "What do you think Jake?" Sam asked. "Whatever." Jake said without even looking at her. Sam rolled her eyes," Well then, Jen you can go first." Sam said," And remember the rules are, no dangerous dares or overly embarrassing truths." "Okay," Jen replied," Sam, truth or dare?" "Dare." Sam said with an eerie sound to her voice, adding effect to her words. "Sam I dare you to yell "I love Jen!" so everyone can hear you." Jen said with a laugh. "Okay," Sam said giggling," If you insist." Then she sucked in a breath before yelling as loud as she could," I looooove jeeeeen!" There was a pause and then someone's voice that sounded like Sam's Dad saying," You kids keep it quite over there!" Jen and Sam both laughed. "Okay Sam your turn to harass me." Jen joked. "Jen, Truth or Dare?" Sam asked. "Uhhh….dare." Jen replied. "Jen, I dare you to say something nice about Jake." Sam said. Jake looked over annoyed. "He should be grateful I think there would be anything nice to say about him." Sam thought. "Okay, here I go." Jen said," I am about to do the unthinkable….say something nice about Jake." Jen paused as if she had dig deep in to her brain to pull anything nice about Jake out. "hmmm….Jake protects my best friend, Sam, so I guess that's something nice about him." Jen said and for a minute Sam thought she sounded almost as though she was really serious. Sam thought about how Jake protected her and she had never thought of it as nice, but now that she thought about she supposed that Jake only did it because he cared about it. But then Jen's voice broke through her thoughts. "Jake, Truth or dare?" "Truth." Jake said, not sounding very excited about it. "Jake, What are you thinking about right now? Honestly." Jen asked. Sam was shocked she would ask, but then Jen was blunt. "That's not a fair question." Jake said. "Great. "Sam thought, "The first five words out of his mouth all night." "Yes it is," Insisted Jen," So spill it." "Fine!" Sam almost jumped as Jake snapped, his voice rising angrily," What I'm thinking about right now is how annoying you both are, and how Sam isn't a good friend trying to cheer me up, she's just two faced and selfish, and the only thing she cares about is being seen as mature and grown up when she isn't even responsible for herself!" Sam was utterly shocked by the words that had just come from Jake's mouth. She had wanted him to open up, but if she had known that this is what would come out, she would have never wished it. Jen looked just as shocked as Sam, but Sam was sure her friend didn't feel as hurt as she did. Sam opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't think of any words to reply to what Jake had just said. Something in her gut hurt terribly and she realized that tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. Sam looked at Jake and saw that his jaw was set hard and he looked upset, but regretful. Sam tried to say something but no words came out, so she jumped up and fled before anyone could see the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks.

Sam ran and ran past everyone, she heard Gram's voice call out to her, but she kept running, she couldn't let them see her crying, they'd just ask what was wrong and Sam just couldn't explain it. Sam ran towards the La Charla and stopped when she reached. A sob escaped her as she sat down at the edge of the river. Her heart hurt and Sam realized that when someone who you really care about doesn't think you care, that is what hurts the most. And then Sam realized how much she really did care about Jake, because he had always been there.


	25. You can't run away

Sam's sobs overcome her and she felt as though everything that she had held in for the last month was coming out. All the stress, and moments when she thought she would have to leave River Bend, and all her feelings about Jake, was flowing out through her tears. She had been happy, finally sure she could stay, and Jake had seemed happy, but Jake's words had made her realize that things weren't really all resolved. There were still things she needed to figure out, and feelings she needed to sort out. Through the sound of her sobs, Sam heard a splashing sound. She looked up and there stood the Phantom, nodding his head as if to say ,"What's wrong?" "Hey. Boy." Sam whispered, slowly standing up. The majestic stallion swung his head from side to side, "It's okay boy." Sam soothed as she slowly waded in to the shallow water. The stallion stepped toward her, then swung around to her side, inviting her to mount on to his solid back.

"I wish I could," Sam reaching out to touch his silky silver mane," But it's not a good idea for either of us."

The majestic stallion let out a disgruntled grunt, as if to say "I don't get it." Sam almost laughed. The Phantom edged towards her, nuzzling her, inviting her. "I don't know, boy." But as Sam looked in to the Phantom's eyes she knew in her heart she was already giving in, "I guess this one last time." Sam whispered," But you have to promise to take good care of me!" Sam added jokingly. She knew the Phantom would take care of her. He was the only one who wouldn't misjudge her, wouldn't throw confusion at her, and certainly wouldn't tell her things that hurt. Just in that moment Sam felt as though the Phantom and her were the only ones in the world, and Sam wanted to keep that feeling as long as she could. "Come on," Sam whispered quietly, as she wrapped her fingers around the great horses mane, and prepared herself to swing on to his wide back," Let's go." Then Sam sprung her self on to the back of the Phantom, and for the first time in weeks she felt as though she was truly free.

The Phantom galloped peacefully through the starry night, and Sam wondered if she had ever felt so at peace. Her heart and soul felt calm, and the aching in her gut had completely healed. As she and the Phantom galloped across the open range, by starlight, Sam felt as though they could go on forever, and she would never have to face what she had left behind. The minute Sam had leaped onto the Phantom's silky back, she felt as though she had left behind all the pain. She had left behind Aunt Sue's judging, she had left behind her Dad's constant worry and protectiveness, she had left behind Gram and Brynna's concerned looks, and most of all, she had left behind Jake's painful words, which had left the deepest scar of all.

As the open range turned to sage brush and trees, the Phantom slowed from a gallop to a graceful walk. As Sam's thought's came back to reality she realized that she couldn't just run away, as wonderful as it felt. Soon enough they would come searching for her and then she would really be in trouble, maybe even sent home with Aunt Sue. And she knew deep inside, that she couldn't run away from her problems. They would still be inside o her, haunting her, wherever she went. So she had to go back, to heal the scars, rather than run away from the pain.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go back." Sam whispered, leaning towards the Phantoms ear. As if he understood the mighty stallion slowly turned and headed back towards the La Charla. Sam felt a pain of anxiety growing in her chest, but she knew what she had to do. She was going home, and eventually everything would be okay again, with everyone.

As the Phantom's hooves thudded across the desert floor beneath her, Sam heard the La Charla as they drew nearer. They just had to go to go through one more patch of trees, and Sam would be home. But suddenly, as they entered the forested area, the Phantom's ears went back, and his stride faltered in a nervous trot.

"What's wrong?" Sam whispered in his ear. The stallion let out a shrill whinny of fear in reply.

Then, suddenly as if echoing his neigh, a high pitch scream rang through the air.

Sam could feel her heart thudding as she realized what the terrible scream had come from. _The cougar. _

"_Come on, we have to get out of here." Sam said, hoping the Phantom would understand. But the next moment the terrifying scream split the air again and the Phantom rose high on to his back legs, rearing towards the sky. "No!" Sam said, but her scream was cut off as her fingers came loose from the Phantom's mane, and her body flew through the air, landing hard on the rough ground. For a minute, everything was all black, but then Sam came back to reality and realized that she was on the ground…. And the cougar was only yards away. _

_A low growl came from the cougar as he stepped towards Sam. Sam stayed deathly still, although fear shook through her. The cougar let out another growl and crouched, looking at Sam as it would an injured deer… as prey. But then, suddenly, the Phantom let out a shrill angry neigh, then charged the cougar, challenging it for his human. The cougar swatted it's claws and growled, but Sam could tell that it would soon run from the angry stallion. With one last growl of frustration, the cougar crawled away, defeated. _

_Once he was sure that cougar was gone, the Phantom walked over to where Sam was laying on the ground, and nuzzled her gently with his nose. "I'm okay boy." Sam said, proving it by slowly standing up and brushing off her jeans," Now get out of here before everyone comes looking for me." The Phantom gave her one last nuzzle with his soft muzzle then galloped away with a good bye call. _

_Sam felt lonely as she stood there, watching the Phantom's white shape fade away. She slowly turned, and saw that the bridge to River Bend was only another 300 feet. But 300 feet was a lot when you have a soar ankle, butt, and back. Sam sat down for a moment, deciding that rest was a good idea for just a few moments, so she would have the strength to walk back. _

_Sam was sitting on the cold ground, getting ready to stand up and make the journey back home, when a voice suddenly split through the air, like shot gun, sending a pain through Sam's head, "Sam!" Sam could tell it was Jake. Then another voice," Samantha!" This time Sam recognized her Dad's voice. Sam thought for a minute. Should she call out, or should she start walking back towards the ranch, and hope she got there first? "Sam!" Jake called again, "Sam!" Wyatt's voice echoed. The desperation in their voices, and the pain in Sam's bones made the decision for her. " I'm here!" Sam called as loud as she could. It was quit for a minute and then Jake's voice, getting closer, shouted," Brat? Where are you?" OVER HERE!" Sam screamed at the top of her lungs. She was running out of strength and it was better scream loud once, then waste her breath over and over. "Is that you, Sam?' Wyatt's voice was near, and Sam looked up as Jake and her Dad came riding in to view. "Right here." Sam said, waving her hand. Her voice was so weak and hoarse she wasn't even sure they heard her. But when they saw they loped towards her and then jumped off their horses and ran towards her. _

"_Honey, are you alright?" Wyatt asked, bending down next to her, checking her for injuries. "I'm fine." Sam replied, "Just really tired and a little sore." "Well, we'll talk about what tomorrow," Wyatt said, as he helped her stand up," For now let's just get you home and to bed." Sam stood up and slowly regained her balance on her wobbly legs. "Brat." Was all Jake said, but Sam could hear the relief and emotion in his voice, and for a moment Sam thought he was going to cry. But Jake was a tough cowboy. He didn't cry, but he did embrace Sam in a hug that felt like it sucked all the air out of her. Jake let go, and Wyatt lifted Sam, onto Ace and climbed up behind her. "Why are you riding Ace?" Sam asked. " We thought he might be able to smell you," Her Dad replied," We were really worried about you sweetheart.' The last thing Sam saw before her eyes closed, was Jake's clenched jaw, and the look in his eyes. The last thought as she fell asleep, was that she was right, she couldn't run away from her problems, all she had done was create more._


	26. A little less complicatedfor now

Sam woke up to the sound of Gram's voice. Through out the night Sam had tossed and turned in her sleep, and drifting in and out of sleep she had heard the voices of Dad,Brynna,and Aunt Sue. Although she hadn't heard what they were saying, she knew they had been arguing, and it was probably about her. But now, the only voice Sam heard was Gram's gentle one, as Sam slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Sweetheart." Gram said, with a sympathetic look as Sam winced as she sat up, her sore muscles protesting. "How about some breakfast?" "Sounds good." Sam said, looking eagerly at the oatmeal, toast, and orange juice Gram had set on a tray on her bedside table. She was starved.

"You should probably take a nice warm shower after your finished eating." Gram suggested, as Sam dug in to her oatmeal. "Yeah, I guess I should." Sam replied, looking down at the torn up muddy clothes she was still wearing fro the night before.

"So where is everyone?" Sam asked, gulping down her orange juice. "Well, your Aunt Sue's downstairs," Gram replied, "and your Dad and Brynna went in to town a couple of hours ago."

"Is Jake here?" Sam asked, knowing that she should probably talk to him. "He's somewhere around here," Gram responded, "But you'd better get cleaned up and then I'll ask him to come in."

"Or I could just head out to the barn and talk to him." Sam said, She didn't really want Gram and Aunt Sue in on their conversation, plus Sam wanted to see how Ace was doing.

"I'm sorry Dear, " Gram replied, "But Wyatt gave your Aunt Sue and I strict instructions not to let you out of the house." "Oh and when your Dad gets back he wants to talk to you." Gram added.

She couldn't even leave the house? If her Dad was that worried, whatever he was going to tell her couldn't be good.

Sam had just finished showering and was putting on clean socks, when she noticed Jake walking towards the house, as she looked out her bedroom window. She quickly put her socks and Tennis shoes on and ran down the stairs. Sam walked into the kitchen just as Jake sat down at the table. "Sam should be down here any minute." Gram said, as Sam walked up from behind her. Gram turned around to head back in to the living room and almost ran into Sam. "Well, your right here Sweetheart." Gram stated with a slight chuckle. Jake looked up at Sam as Gram walked away. "Hey, " Sam said, sitting down across the table from him. She felt a bit awkward after everything that had happened the night before. And /Jake's words from the night before were still fresh on her mind.

"Hi." Was Jake's single word reply, and for a moment Sam thought that was all he would say, but then he seemed to change his mind. " So what did you want to talk about?" Jake asked, not quite looking at Sam. "Umm…" Sam began, glancing sideways at Aunt Sue who was stirring something in a bowl on the counter.

She knew if she told Jake "Let's go upstairs and talk, Aunt Sue would wonder. But Sam also knew couldn't just sit there and have an awkward conversation with Jake right in front of Aunt Sue. So, Sam motioned Jake with her hand. She waved her hand back and forth at the stairs. Jake looked completely puzzled, and then gave her a look that said, "Man, you really must have hit your head last night." Sam sighed and rolled her eyes at him. Then Sam jabbed her thumb at the stairs and scooted her chair back. The chair screeched, and Aunt Sue looked over with a strange expression on her face. But then she looked away and Jake nodded at Sam, saying he understood and stood up.

Jake and Sam quietly walked out of the kitchen, with no further looks from Aunt Sue. After Sam and Jake got upstairs, Jake followed Sam into her room and she closed the door behind them. Sam sat on her bed, playing with the threads on her cover. And Jake stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, staring down at his cowboy boots.

"So, umm.." Sam started, "I guess we need to talk about what happened." "Which part?" Jake asked. "Well, all of it." Sam replied, feeling awkward. Jake cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. Then he slowly looked at her. "Jake, why'd you say what you said last night?" Sam asked suddenly, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. "You know I didn't mean it." Jake said, looking her in the eye, and Sam could see he was sincere. "Why'd you say it then Jake?" Sam replied. Jake looked down, his jaw clenched, and Sam saw the same look on his face she had seen the night before, when they had been riding home.

"Jake?" Sam prompted him to say something. "Your Aunt Sue told me." Jake stated, still not looking at her.

"She told you what?" Sam asked. Confused.

"Well, my Mom asked me to call you and tell you that she would be bringing her green bean casserole, " Jake began, then continued hesitantly, " Then I called and your Aunt Sue answered the phone and told me you were outside. Then she started telling me." " Telling you what?" Sam urged. "She said that you would be happier in San Francisco, and you would be safe. " Jake paused then continued, " Then she said that the only reason that you didn't want to leave was because of the horses and…me. She made it sound like she had talked to you." Sam was stunned. How could Aunt Sue say such things?

"But why did that make you say what you did last night?" Sam asked Jake. " I guess I felt guilty , I don't want you to go to San Francisco cuz I'll miss you. But I don't want to be the reason you get hurt. I don't even know why I said what I did." Jake explained, then added with emphasis, "But I didn't mean it."

"Jake, what Aunt Sue said wasn't true." Sam began, " I mean, the horses are a big part of why I don't want to leave. And so are you." Sam paused for a moment. "And those aren't bad reasons. And there are also a lot of other reasons I want to stay. Like Brynna, Dad, Gram, and Jen. And this is my home!" Sam raised her voice, and through her hands in the air, "I don't know how Aunt Sue could say I'd be happier there when she knows this is where I belong!" Sam finished her rant and looked at Jake, who seemed to be thinking about what she had just said. Just then, there was a noise outside the door and both Sam and Jake turned their heads. Had Aunt Sue been listening?

"So, you forgive me?" Jake asked. "Yeah," Sam replied with a smile, "Back to best friends?"

"Sure thing…pardner."Jake said, returning her smile. "Well cowboy, whether you like it or not I'm coming over there and giving you a big hug!" Sam said with a taunting smile. Jake just returned it with his signature "tomcat" smile and raised his eyebrows to say "bring it on." So Sam walked over to Jake and hugged him, squeezing him as hard as she could. Jake hugged her back and she smiled, thinking that maybe, things weren't quite as complicated as she thought.


	27. The worst case scenario

"I guess Wyatt will want to talk to you," Jake said, looking past Sam, out the window. Sam turned around to see her Dad's truck parked outside, and him and Brynna getting out. "Yeah, I guess I better go downstairs ." Sam said. Jake just nodded and followed her out the door. "It's time to face the music." Sam muttered as she and Jake reached the bottom of the stairs.

Wyatt, Brynna, Gram, and Aunt Sue were all seated at the kitchen table talking, but they stopped as soon as Sam and Jake walked in. Wyatt gave Sam a silent gesture to sit down, and she sat down across from him, between Gram and Aunt Sue. Jake, sensing that they were about to have an important and possibly emotional discussion, went outside. "So what's going on?" Sam asked, a little nervous about how serious they all looked.

"Well, " Brynna started, taking a deep breath, "We have been discussing what happened last night, and what we should do to make sure it doesn't happen again." Brynna glanced at Dad, who nodded, seeming to agree with Brynna. "So," Wyatt continued the conversation, " Before we decide anything we want to hear the truth about what happened last night." Then Wyatt looked Sam in the eye and folded his arms, waiting for her explanation.

"I walked down to the La Charla," Sam began, hesitating, " Then I just decided to take a walk." Wyatt grunted. "You expect me to believe that you were just walking and fell and bruised yourself all up, ripped your clothes, and ended up smelling like a horse?" "Dad, I always smell like a horse." Sam joked, trying to lighten the mood. But nobody laughed. Dad her just stared at her,, arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

" Alright," Sam said slowly," I went for a ride and I fell off." What really happened?" Dad asked, staring her down, " I know darn well that none of our horses were out last night." Sam looked down. Dad had cornered her, and she couldn't get out unless she told the truth.

"What really happened?" Dad repeated, in a stern voice. "He didn't mean to hurt me!" Sam burst out. "It was that cursed mustang wasn't it?" Wyatt said as more of a statement than a question. "He isn't cursed Dad!" Sam protested, "It wasn't his fault! There was a cougar!" Aunt Sue gasped and Dad opened his mouth to say something, but Gram cut him off. "Now just explain everything from beginning to end." Gram said calmly, resting her hand on Sam's shoulder. "Okay," Sam said, taking a deep breath," I was just sitting by the La Charla when-" Wyatt interrupted," Now start at the very beginning and don't leave anything out," Wyatt said firmly," Mrs. Kenworthy said you looked upset when she saw you running towards the river. What happened before that?"

Sam didn't know what to say. She certainly didn't want to tell everyone everything that Jake had said, and her reaction. But she couldn't make something up either. So she just said, "We got into a little argument and I guess I got a little upset." "Who is we, sweetie?" Brynna asked gently. "And what were you arguing about?" Dad added. Sam looked at him, exasperated that she had to answer all these complicated questions. "Just explain everything from the very beginning." Wyatt said calmly. Sam thought for a moment and then began explaining everything, in as little detail as possible.

"Okay," Sam said," Me, Jake, and Jen were sitting around the bonfire and we were playing truth or dare. Jake was in some kind of mood and when Jen asked him what was up I guess he just kinda flipped ou and said some stupid stuff that made me mad." Her Dad looked at her quizzically for a second then asked, " What did Jake say?" Did he seriously just ask that? Sam wondered. It was too much to ask for her to just tell them all what Jake had said, especially since she and Jake had already worked it our and she didn't want it to be brought up.

"I don't know." Sam replied to her Dad, " It was nothing." Her Dad gave her a stern stare, but Sam just crossed her arms. 30 seconds went by and finally Wyatt gave in. "Alright, " Wyatt said with a sigh," Let's just get to the point. How did you end up out there? What happened, exactly?"

"I just went down to the La Charla to get some air and the Phantom was there…and then…," Sam's voice trailed off, she really didn't want to say what happened next, because she knew everyone would be disappointed in her, and the Phantom would be even more blamed. "Samantha. Anne..Forster." Dad pronounced each word individually, "Just spit it out. And don't you dare lie to me." Sam sighed. There was no getting around it, she would have to tell the whole truth and hope the worst wouldn't happen. "Here I go." Sam thought.

"So after the Phantom came to me he invited me to ride him." Sam paused a moment to see their reactions, but her Dad just nodded for her to go on," and…and…then I did." "You rode him?" Dad asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer but he didn't want to believe it. "Yes. But he took good care of me!" Sam said defensively. "Then how is heavens name did you end up the way you were when Jake and I found you?" Wyatt demanded. "It wasn't his fault!" Sam protested, "He protected me from the cougar! The only reason he left me was because I told him too! Please don't let anything happen to him" "Don't worry." Brynna said reassuringly, " Nothing will happen to him. But we do need to discuss what is going to happen to you." "So what is going to happen to me? How long am I grounded?" Sam asked, desperately wishing that her punishment would be a grounding, but she knew just by looking at her Dad's face it would be much worse. "I'm sorry it had to come to this." Dad said, shaking his head, he looked as though he was at his wits end. "Come to WHAT?" Sam yelled, fed up with all the suspense and dread. Gram made a distressed sound Brynna just looked down. "You'll be staying with me for a while." Aunt Sue finally spoke up, making her announcement sound as if it was a good thing.

Sam looked at her Dad desperately, but he just nodded solemnly in agreement. "But you said I didn't have to go!" Sam begged. "That was before." Dad said gravely. Suddenly Sam felt as if she was all alone. After everything she had done to try to prove herself, she had ruined it all. And she felt like everyone was against her, except maybe Jake and Jen, and she wouldn't even have them in San Francisco. With one last desperate look at everyone, Sam jumped up and ran outside.

Sam made a blind dash for the barn. She had to get away. She had to do something. She couldn't just let them send her away from everything she loved.

. Sam's racing thoughts were cut off when she ran into something tall and hard. Or rather someone.


	28. Making the best of things

Here is the next chapter! Quite a bit longer than they have been lately. So enjoy!J

"Brat?" Jake questioned, looking down at her. "Sorry Jake." Sam mumbled, walking past him before he could see the tears in her eyes. But Jake grabbed her wrist gently, not letting her get away, "What's going on Sam?" Jake asked, " What did they say?" "Their sending me to San Francisco!" Sam cried, " I know I deserve it but I just can't believe I really have to leave!" "I had a feeling Wyatt would decide that after this, I was just hoping he wouldn't." Jake said regretfully. "Why did you hope that?" Sam asked, and then realized how wrong that sounded, " I mean, I know what you said about missing me and all, but won't you be happy that I'll be safe and you won't have to protect you anymore?" "Sam, I've been thinking a lot lately, and I think I've changed my ways some," Jake began seriously," I still want to protect you, but not at the expense of your happiness. A good friend wouldn't do that." "You are a good friend Jake." Sam said sincerely, " A great friend." "Thanks….Brat." Jake said with a teasing smile.

"Thanks for everything Jake." Sam said, leaning forward to give him a hug. Sam smiled as she thought, things sure had to be messed up for Jake to be doing so much hugging….and talking.

Sam felt a little better knowing that at least Jake was on her side, and even though she would be far away and she would miss everyone terribly, and at least if she had to, before she left she would hand cuff Jake if it came to that, and make him promise to call her.

Sam stepped back from Jake as the screen door slammed. "Sam," Wyatt said, walking towards them. "Dad." Sam replied, a little coldly. "You need to go inside and start packing." He said giving her and Jake a quizzical look. Sam had been so upset before that she hadn't even asked when she had to leave. Sam opened her mouth to ask but her Dad gave her a look that said, just go and ask later. So without another word, Sam headed towards the house, glancing back just once to see her Dad talking to Jake.

Sam walked in to her room to see Aunt Sue already laying clothes out on the bed next to her suitcase. "There you are dear." Aunt Sue said, looking at her as she walked over to her desk to get some of her stuff to pack. "Samantha, Sweetie," Aunt Sue said, " Please understand that I'm not trying to hurt you, I love you. And I just want to protect you." "I know." Sam said quietly , " It's just that it is hurting me." "I'm so sorry sweetie," Aunt Sue said, walking over to give Sam a hug, " But maybe it's for the best." Sam wasn't so sure, but she realized that even though she was angry at her Aunt Sue, she still loved her.

"Well, let's get this packing done!" Aunt Sue said cheerfully. "Okay," Sam said, trying to smile. Now that she knew there was no way of getting out of leaving, she might as well make it as easy as possible. Sam turned to her desk and began going through the drawers to decide what she was going to take with her. A bunch of miscellaneous junk….throw away, her journal….definitely a keeper so she could read it and remember the way things were. Then Sam found something that brought a pang o pain to her chest…the bracelet she had braided from the hairs of the Phantom's mane. She had to take it with her, so the Phantom would always be with her. Then Sam realized something…she had to say goodbye to the Phantom. Sam stood staring at the bracelet for a full minute, thinking of how she could see the Phantom before she left, when Aunt Sue's voice broke into her thoughts, " Got that stuff sorted out dear?" "Uh, yeah." Sam replied, sticking the bracelet in the front page of her journal. Then she turned back to packing.

One hour and a fully packed suitcase later, Sam walked downstairs in a slightly better mood. Although she was still devastated about leaving, at least she had let go of her resentment towards Aunt Sue, and she had thought of a good idea of how she could see the Phantom, that was IF Jake could help her.

But there was one more thing she had to do first. It was something she didn't want to do, but she knew she had to, and that was talk to her Dad.

Sam walked into the living room and saw the back of her Dad's head, signifying that he was sitting on the recliner. "Hey Dad," Sam said, sitting down on the couch. " Hey Sweetheart." Dad said, turning off the TV to look at her. "Sam-" "Dad-" Sam and her Dad both started. "You go first." Sam said quickly. "I'm sorry I have to do this." Dad began," But I think it will teach you something, and I just want what's best for you." "I know." Sam said," And I'll try to make the best of it." "That's my girl." Wyatt said, hugging her," I love you darling." "I love you too Daddy." Sam replied.

It was after 4 o'clock and Sam had to talk to Jake before he left for home. Sam ran out the door and down the porch steps just in time to see Jake mount Witch and he was about to head out until Sam yelled., " Jake wait! I have to talk to you!" Witch half bucked and Jake turned to look at her. "What's up?" Jake asked, looking reluctant to get off Witch. "I just need to talk to you," Sam replied, "So get off." Jake just stared at her for a few seconds as if he was trying to make a decision. "Listen, I'm not trying to be rude Sam, but I really need to get home for supper." Jake said reasonably, "So why can't you just tell me now?" Sam walked a few feet closer to Witch and looked up at Jake's face that was looking down at her from under his Stetson. "Because," Sam said through clenched teeth," I need to talk to you where no one an hear." Jake looked confused for a moment, then he seemed to have an idea. "Well, my Mom's been telling me to invite you over forever," Jake began, " so why don't you just go ask your Dad and then we can talk in PRIVATE on the way over." "Okay….smartey pants." Sam teased as she turned to run inside.

Jake just laughed and watched her go.

Wyatt was reluctant to let Sam ride over at first, but after much convincing her allowed her to go. So, Sam raced outside, speed tacked Ace, and was riding across River Bend Bridge 15 minutes later.

"So what was so important that you wanted to talk to me about?" Jake asked, after a few minutes. "I need to see the Phantom before I leave." Sam stated matter of factly. "What are you saying?" Jake asked, obviously not understanding what she was trying to say. "I just need you to take me to see him," Sam said, "to say goodbye." Jake looked at her reluctantly. "I won't do anything crazy." She promised. Jake didn't seem to believe her. "I promise!" Sam emphasized ,leaning over to punch Jake playfully in the arm.

"Okay, I believe you!" Jake said, laughing. "Wanna gallop?" Jake asked suddenly. Sam just stared at him, not believing that Jake would ever let her go above a jog. "I mean, I know Wyatt would kill me," Jake said, shifting in his saddle, " But I know this might be the last time you get to ride before you leave."

Sam looked down at her saddle horn. She hadn't even thought about it being her last ride, and Jake's words had struck her painfully. "I'm sorry." Jake said, seeing her distress. "It's okay." Sam said, brushing her tears to lookup at Jake. "Let's gallop!" "You ready?" Jake asked. "You bet I am!" Sam said daringly. Then both Sam and Jake urged their horses forward. Ace jumped beneath Sam and leaped into a smooth gallop. Sam drank in the beautiful feeling of flying, and the feeling of her fingers entangled in Ace's mane.

Sam looked over at Witch. Her black coat glinted in the sunlight, and her muscles moved fluidly. Sam looked up at Jake's face and grinned. She was so glad he had suggested this. Even though she was sad that it might be her last ride for a long time, at least she could keep the memory until next time. Sam slowed Ace to a jog and then a walk next to Witch as they approached the entrance to Three Ponies Ranch. "Ready to face the music?" Jake asked. "What do you mean?" Sam asked. "Well, you know my family can be pretty crazy sometimes." Jake said. "Yeah, including you." Sam teased. Jake just rolled his eyes and laughed. Sam heard a door slam as she hopped of Ace and tied him to the hitching post. As she and Jake turned to head towards the house, Sam saw Jake's brother Quinn coming towards them. "Hey Sam!" Quinn greeted her," I was just about to go looking for Jake Suppers been waiting." Quinn looked at Jake with a bossy like accusatory look. "It was my fault!" Sam spoke up, " Jake invited me over and I took too long to get ready." Jake shot her a grateful look. "I'm sure Mom will forgive him when she sees that he brought you." Quinn reassured with a smile, "Mom's been wanting to have you over forever."

Sam and Jake followed Quinn into the house. "Jake Ely!" Maxine Ely's voice shouted from the kitchen, "I told you to be home early! I have half a mind to-" Mrs. Ely stopped mid sentence when she saw Sam . "Sam!" She exclaimed joyfully," I'm so glad Jake finally brought you over!" Maxine seemed to completely forget about Jake's lateness as she led them into the dining room. "You all just sit down." Maxine said, pulling up a chair for Sam next to Jake.

As Sam dug into her mashed potatoes and gravy, she looked around the table at all of the Elys. Brian was seated on her left side, Seth was seated directly across from her, Adam was on his left, and Quinn was on his right. That was 5 Elys including Jake. And then there was Luke Ely, Jake's Dad, seated a the head of the table, and Maxine was at the other end. That was 7 Elys total. Things were starting to get a little noisy, but Sam didn't mind. "So we heard about your little accident last night." Adam said. Sam couldn't believe it had just been the night before. After everything that had happened that day, it seemed like it had been forever since then, but it had only been the night before when she and Jen had been playing truth or dare around the bonfire and everything had been okay.

"So what happened?" Quinn asked. "Are you in trouble?" Brian interrupted. Sam didn't now what to say. She really didn't want to announce her bad news to the entire Ely family. She knew it would surprise them, since only Jake knew the severity of what had happened. " I guess you could say that." Sam said slowly, hoping they didn't ask more. But they did. "So how long you grounded?' Seth asked. Sam looked at Jake for help and he shot his brother a look. But Adam hadn't noticed the tension," Yeah, it must not be too bad or Wyatt wouldn't have let you ride over here," Adam said good naturedly. Sam looked down and Jake cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. Now Jake's brothers seemed to realize something was wrong. They were all quiet for the first time. But even though weren't asking anymore, Sam figured she might as well just say it." My Dad's sending me back to the city with Aunt Sue." Sam said quietly, and she hoped they heard her because she didn't want to have to repeat it. Luckily they did. Sam looked up at their stricken faces. Quinn was the first to say something, "Sorry Sam." He said sincerely. Brian, Adam and Seth all nodded in agreement. They all looked sad and Sam realized there were a lot of people she would miss.

Sam felt Jake shift in his seat next to her. She looked at his face and could tell he was uncomfortable. Just then, Maxine and Luke walked in from the kitchen, where they had mysteriously disappeared to.

"Who wants pie?" Maxine asked as she sat down and set an apple pie on the table. Then she looked at everyone's faces and she seemed to realize something was going on. "What's wrong?" She asked," I've never seen any one so eager for pie!" No one said anything.

Sam was surprised as Jake spoke up, " Sam's Dad is sending her back to San Francisco." Jake said. Sam sent him a grateful look, knowing that he said so she wouldn't have to. "But why?" Maxine gasped. "Because of what happened last night." Jake answered for her. Maxine just nodded. "We're all going to miss you Sam." Luke Ely said. "Thanks." Sam replied, trying to smile.

Sam wanted to keep all the memories of her friends in her heart, so they would always be with her, even in San Francisco.

Thanks for the reviews you all! Every time you review after a chapter it really encourages me to write!J


	29. Make yourself at home

"Jake, why don't you go show Sam Gal's puppies?" Mrs. Ely suggested cheerfully. "K." Jake said, jumping up, obviously anxious to get outside. Sam got up and followed him outside. "Thanks for helping me out back there." Sam said, gesturing back at the house. "No problem." Jake said, as they walked towards the barn.

"Awww…" Sam said as they walked into the barn and Sam spotted the puppies in the pen in the tack room, "Their adorable Jake!" "Yeah." Was all Jake said, but Sam could tell by the look on his face, that he thought the puppies were pretty darn cute too. Sam watched as the tiny speckled brown puppies snuggled against their mother to nurse. For a few minutes stood there in comfortable silence, until Jake asked, "So, did your Dad say when you have to leave?" Sam's heart sank as she came back to reality. "Aunt Sue's leaving this Saturday." Sam replied, looking down sadly. It was Sunday, which meant she only had five days. "That soon, Huh?" Jake said casually, but Sam could that he was surprised, and that he was trying not to show that he was upset.

"I wish I didn't have to go." Sam said, stating the obvious. Jake just nodded , and now he was the one who looked down. Sam tried to see Jake's expression, but he was hiding it from her, indicating that he was having a hard time hiding his emotions.

As Sam and Jake stood there in silence, Quinn, Adam, and Bryan walked in to the barn "Hey you guys." Adam said. "The puppies are sure cute." Sam said, not able to think of anything else to say. "We were going to see if you could convince your Dad to let you bring one home, but now….." Bryan's voice trailed off as he realized it had been a bad idea to bring that up. Suddenly, Jake, who hadn't said a word, took his cowboy hat, which he had been holding, and slammed it on his head and stomped out of the barn. "What's wrong with him?" Quinn asked, looking puzzled. "I told him I have to leave on Sunday," Sam admitted, "I guess that might have upset him." "Well," Adam changed the subject," Mom sent us out there to tell you to come inside and have some of her apple pie." "Okay." Sam responded, following the three Ely boys out of the barn. As they headed toward the house, Sam noticed that the clouds were starting to get really dark. She'd better hurry so she wouldn't get caught out in the storm.

As Sam walked back into the Ely's dining room, the apple pie on the table was starting to look tempting. "Here you go dear." said with a gentle smile. Sometimes it felt a little weird that Mrs. Ely was her history teacher, but she was also Jake's Mom and she had known Sam since she was in diapers. "You'd better eat that fast." said, looking out the window at the dark sky," If you don't leave soon you'll be caught in the storm." "Yeah, I'd better go get Ace ready to go." Sam said, devouring the last of her apple pie. "I think one of the boys utacked him and put him in the barn." replied," I'll have Jake get him ready for you." "That's okay." Sam said quickly, "I can do it." But Mrs. Ely didn't seem to hear. "Where is Jake anyway?" She asked Seth. "I think he went up to his room." Seth answered with a shrug. It was awful early for Jake to be going to bed, Sam thought, looking at the clock on the Ely's wall and saw it was only a little after 8 o'clock Plus Jake hadn't even said Bye to her. He must be pretty upset.

"Well can one of you boys tack up Ace for Sam?" Mrs. Ely asked. "I guess I could." Seth said, walking towards the door. But when he opened the door, a gust of wind hit him in the face, there was a low rumble, and the rain suddenly came down VERY hard, sounding like a shower on full blast. "Oh dear," Mrs. Ely said as Seth took a step back into the house and shut the door. "I guess you'd better call home, Sam." "Okay," Sam responded hesitantly, "What should I say?" "Just tell them that the storm is too bad for you to ride home in." Mrs. Ely said sensibly," And your welcome to spend the night here." "Alright." Sam replied, contemplating what it would be like to spend the night at the Ely's, with 5 Ely boys living there. "Oh, the phones right there on the wall." Mrs. Ely added, pointing.

Sam walked over to the phone, picked it up, and dialed her own number. She put the phone up to her ear, and after a few rings Aunt Sue's voice said, " Hello." "Hi. It's Sam." Sam said quickly. "Ah. Your father told me that you had ridden over to Jake's house fore supper." Aunt Sue said, and something in her voice made Sam think that her Aunt didn't exactly approve, but she had no idea why. "Well the storms gotten pretty bad outside." Sam said. "I noticed." Aunt Sue replied, with a hint of irritation in her voice," I don't know why your father let you ride out with that coming in." "I'm sure he didn't know I wouldn't I wouldn't get home sooner." Sam defended her Dad, then said, " Well, Mrs. Ely said I could spend the night here." "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Aunt Sue asked, reluctance in her voice. "We've known the Ely's forvever and I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind." Sam said, confused by her Aunt's attitude, "Besides I can't come home anyways." "Well here's your Dad," Aunt Sue replied," You can talk to him about it." Then Sam heard shuffling on the other end, and finally her Dad was on the phone. "Hey Sweetie." Wyatt said, sounding relaxed. "So I guess I'll be spending the night here." Sam said, "That okay?" "That's fine." Wyatt said calmly," I'll see you tommorrow Sweetie. Goodnight." "Goodnight Dad." Sam said. Then they both hung up, and Sam turned to Mrs. Ely who had just walked back in the room.

"Here are some pajama for you." Mrs. Ely said, handing Sam a pair of polka dot pajama pants and a baggy sky blue t-shirt. "Thanks." Sam replied gratefully. "You can go ahead and change in the bathroom, and I'll get you some blankets so you can sleep on the couch." "Okay." Sam replied, smiling. 5 minutes later she walked out to see a beautiful floral blanket on the couch, along with a plush pillow. Mrs. Ely really had made an effort to make her feel at home. "Thanks so much for this" Sam said as Mrs. Ely walked in from the kitchen. "Oh it's nothing." Mrs. Ely replied with a grin," Now just make yourself at home and if you need anything, I'll be right in there, Ok?" Mrs. Ely pointed at her office door. " Okay." Sam said. "I'll see you in the morning." Mrs. Ely said, giving Sam a hug," Goodnight!" "Goodnight!" Sam replied as Mrs. Ely walked in to her office. Then, Sam sat on the couch and so began her overnight at the Ely's.

Sorry, It's a little short, But I promise to have a longer chapter up by tommorrow or Thursday at the VERY latest! Thanks and remember to review!J


	30. A strange night

Sam was just sitting on the Ely's couch, flipping through a magazine she had found on the coffee table. She looked at the clock on the wall. Nine thirty. Everyone else was in bed. She might as well get some sleep too.

She got under the floral blanket, but before she could lay down, she heard a creak on the stairs. She sat up to see Jake walking towards the kitchen. He walked right past her, and for a moment Sam thought he wouldn't notice her, but then he jumped as he seemed to do a double take to see her on the couch. "Whoa! What ya doin' here, Brat?" Jake asked, clearly baffled as to how she had appeared in his living room.

"I couldn't ride home in the storm , so your Mom invited me to spend the night," Sam explained, then added, "Of course I called my Dad and let him know." Jake just nodded and said, "Well I just came down here to see if there was any of that apple pie left, and I'll admit, you scared me outta my mind , Brat." "Well, good luck on finding any left over pie." Sam joked. Jake just gave her a daring smile and walked towards the kitchen. And Sam lay down and closed her eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, Sam was on the verge of sleep, when she heard a low voice say, " 'night Brat." Sam opened her heavy eyelids to see Jake walking back towards the stair case. "Goodnight Jake." Sam said. "See ya in the morning'." Jake replied, looking back at her before heading up the stairs. Then Sam snuggled under the covers and fell asleep.

Sam was still sound asleep, when suddenly she was jerked awake by a noise that drifted to her from her dreams. She sat up quickly and listened, trying to hear what it was. Then she heard it again. It had come from the front door. But what had it been? Sam looked at the door, and what she saw sent chills down her spine. Someone was jiggling the door knob, trying to break in! Sam froze and waited for a moment, then the door knob turned back and forth, like someone was trying to pick the lock. Sam jumped up, and tip toed, fast, upstairs. She reached the top of the staircase in 15 seconds, she stopped to think just for moment, then she decided Jake was the one she should wake. She tiptoed through Jake's open bedroom door. "Jake?" She whispered loudly in to the dark room. She stepped across the cold wood floor, towards Jake's bed where he lay fast asleep, and Sam thought she heard him snore quietly. "Jake!" Sam said, louder this time, and she shoved him in the shoulder, hard. Jake opened his eyes and looked at her, seeming to be a little disoriented. "Brat?" Jake questioned, as though he couldn't believe his eyes. "Jake, " Sam said urgently, "Someone's trying to break in the front door!"

"What do ya mean, someone's trying to break in?" Jake asked, looking a lot more awake now. "Someone was jiggling the door knob," Sam replied" and then I think they were trying to pick the lock." Jake was already up and heading towards the stairs. "Stay quiet." Jake warned, as they descended the stairs on tip toe. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, what Sam saw scared her. The Ely's front door was wide open and there was no one in sight. Jake quickly walked around the house, checking to see if the culprit was still inside. "Whoever it was just came in and out." Jake stated. "Yeah, but the question is, why did they break in, in the first place?" Sam questioned, " And who is it? And where are they now?" Jake just gave her a look of disgust at all her questions, and he paused for a moment before saying, " I guess I better check outside. You stay here." "Wait! " Sam said quickly, before Jake could open the door, " Shouldn't you wake your parents?" Jake seemed to consider her question for a moment, but then he went back to his "I know best" attitude. "The whole house doesn't need to be up, If I can just check things out and it be over with. So you stay her brat!" Then Jake swiftly headed out the door and closed it in Sam's face. And Sam just stood there, dumbfounded.

It was 20 minutes later, and Sam was still standing in the same spot, when Jake came back inside. He shut the door behind him, glanced at Sam, and then started walking away without a word. "Well?" Sam exclaimed suddenly. "Well what?" Jake asked, sounding annoyed. "Well, what happened? Did you find anything?" Sam asked impatiently. Jake sighed, then said, "Whoever it was, got away. But I can't figure out what they were here for. All the horses are here, so it was obviously someone in the house who was his target." Something about the way Jake said "Someone" made Sam FEEL targeted. "After who? And why?' Sam asked suspiciously. "I'm no the culprit, how am I to know?" Jake replied, avoiding. "Well what do you THINK?" Sam demanded. Jake glanced at her sideways, like a horse eyeing a snake. "Well?" Sam repeated. "I think they were looking for you." Jake replied hesitantly. "WHY?" Sam screeched, astonished at the ideas, and not quite believing it, "Why would you think that Jake Ely?" Jake stood there for minute, gathering his thoughts, then he said, "Cuz' they didn't take anything in the house and you were gone by the time they broke in…..and I have reason to believe that the person is Linc Slocum."

"Why would you think it was Linc?" Sam asked anxiously. "I saw tire marks that could only belong to some kind of fancy car." "And why would he be after me?" Sam asked. "I don't think he's after you, I think he's after something you have." Jake replied. "What?" Sam urged. "You know that horse hair bracelet you made from the Phantom's main?" Jake said. Sam gasped. "But how would he know I have it? Ad how would he know where I was tonight?" " Your Dad knows you're here, obviously your Gram knows, she's planning something with Jen's Mom right? And Jen's Mom lives on the same ranch as Linc, so that's how he's know you were her. And as far as knowing bout the bracelet, he's probably seen you wear it, and guessed that it was something special and that it was a connection to the Phantom." Jake's explanation came together in Sam's mind and somehow made sense. One thing was for sure, Linc was pretty stupid to think Sam would take the bracelet with her everywhere, cause it was safe at home in her room. But the question still remained: Why was Linc trying to find a way to get to the Phantom through her.. Again?

After being sure there was nothing stolen from the house, Jake started to head up the stairs, leaving Sam alone on the couch. "Wait!" She said suddenly. Jake turned, surprised, and looked at her. "Are you just going to leave me down here alone, if you think that Linc is really trying to find me?" Sam demanded "Well I guess you could sleep on the floor in my room." Jake said. Then Sam gladly followed him up the stairs. Jake pulled a plaid sleeping bag from the hall closet. "Here, take this." Jake said gruffly, throwing the sleeping bag into Sam's arms so hard that she stumbled backwards. Then Jake walked in to his bedroom. "You can just lay right there." Jake said, pointing at the floor a few feet from his bed. Then Jake got into his bed and didn't say a thing. So, Sam fumbled around in the dark, and 10 minutes later she was tucked in the warm sleeping bag. Then the next thing she knew, she was in her dreams.


	31. Secrets

Later that day Sam wandered inside to get a drink of water, and as she walked in to the kitchen, she overgeard some of Gram and Brynna's conversation. "It's going to be hard for her, I know." Gram said sadly. "It's quicker than I even expected, but I guess that makes it even more important that we tell her now." Brynna replied. "Tell me what?" Sam demanded, suddenly making her presence known. Brynna and Gram exchanged surprised glances and hesitated. Just then, Wyatt walked in the back door and took in their grim faces. "What's goin' on?" He asked warily. "I think we need to tell her." Gram said simply. Wyatt just nodded and replied seriously, "Brynna, could you go get Sue?" Brynna just nodded and walked out of the room. Sam, Gram, and Wyatt stood in silence until Gram said, "Let's sit down," as she gestured towards the table.

The three of them were sitting down around the table when Brynna and Aunt Sue entered the room. "I suppose it's time we told her our plans." Aunt Sue stated calmly, sitting down across from Sam. "What plans?" Sam asked anxiously. "Well, we were planning to try to get tickets for you and Sue to fly out a week from tomorrow." Wyatt stated grimly, but Sam could tell the worst was yet to come. As if she'd read Sam's mind Aunt Sue spoke, "As your father is saying, we were trying to get a flight later in the week so you would have more time before we leave, but, " Aunt Sue paused, adding suspense to the moment, "The only flight we could book is this Sunday."

Sam sat in shock for a moment, as her brain registered the sudden information. This Sunday? It was already Friday afternoon. She would only have tomorrow to say Goddbye to everyone, and pack. And she hadn't even said Goodbye to the Phantom! Sam blinked and looked around at the four faces that were looking at her concerned. "Are you alright Dear?" Gram asked sympathetically. Sam just nodded and asked quietly, "Is it alright if I go outside?" Wyatt just nodded, and she ran out the door.

Sam stepped off the porch steps when she saw Jake on Witch, probably about to head for home. She had to talk to him about seeing the Phantom! "Jake!" Sam called as she ran after Witch, who Jake was now riding at a jog. Witch threw her head up as Sam ran up along her side. "Jake!" She said again, urgently. Jake slowed Witch to a stop and Sam thought she heard him mutter something like, "I heard you the first time, brat." Sam put her hands on her hips and looked up at Jake seriously, "I have something really important I have to talk to you about. Right. Now!" "Then just tell me." Jake said impatiently.

"I need to talk to you privately." Sam replied in an urgent voice. "I thought we already had this conversation the other day." Jake said, rolling his eyes as he hopped off Witch. He tied Witch to the hitching post. "What is it we need to talk about?" Jake asked as he followed Sam towards the barn. "Ill tell you when we get in the barn." Sam answered in a low voice.

Once they were in the barn, Sam lead Jake in to the tack room and closed the door behind them. "So what's so secretive you've gotta tell me?" Jake asked, looking around the tack room as if he'd never seen it before. "They've already bought me the ticket to leave this Sunday." Sam began. "What?" Jake exclaimed loudly in surprise. "I know." Sam said quietly, "I thought I'd have more time too." Sam and Jake stood in silence for a few minutes, but then Sam remembered what they were supposed to be talking about, and pulled herself together. "But anyway, that's not the point." Sam said, straightening up. Jake looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to go on. "The point is," Sam continued, looking Jake straight in the eye, "I need you to help me see the Phantom tomorrow." Jake drew in a deep breath then let it out in a whoosh. " I don't know, Brat." He said warily. "You promised you'd help me see him before I leave." Sam reminded him. Jake stood there in silence for a moment, looking down at his boots.

"Fine," Sam said, anger swelling up inside her, at the idea of Jake breaking his promise to her, "I'll just go by myself if you won't keep your promise. And if Dad finds out, he's already given me the worst punishment there is, so I've got nothing to lose." "Brat, calm down." Jake said, looking at her, "Just let me hear your plan before I make any commitment." Sam looked at the tack room door, listening to make sure no one was near, then she turned to Jake and whispered, "I'll tell you if you promise to be quiet." Jake just nodded, looking a little embarrassed by the idea of whispering. "Okay," Sam began, leaning a little towards Jake so he could hear her whisper, "We'll ride out at 4:30 tomorrow morning an-" "What?" Jake interrupted before Sam could continue, "Why not just leave tomorrow afternoon? It'll be cold that early in the morning." "We have to sneak!" Sam declared, as if Jake had no brains at all, "My Dad's banned me from riding." Jake shook his head as if he was going to interrupt again, but Sam kept talking, "It's not too cold yet, "Sam reasoned, "And we can wear warm clothes." Jake looked blankly at her for a second. "Please do this with me Jake!" Sam begged, dropping her pride, "Your the only one I can trust to help me with this, and I just have to see the Phantom before I leave!"

Jake didn't say anything for a moment, then he said, " Where will we meet?" Sam took a step closer to Jake to make sure he alone would hear, then whispered, " We'll meet at 4:15 tomorrow morning at the La Charla." Jake was about to whisper a reply, when suddenly the tack room door flew open.

Sunlight from the barn, streamed in to the tack room, and blinded Sam for a second. She blinked her eyes, and then saw Dad, standing in the door, looking back and forth between her and Jake quizzically. Wyatt cleared his throat and said, "What's goin' on here?" Sam looked at Jake, and realized how close together they were standing. She took a step back and said, "Umm... we were just talking." Wyatt raised his eyebrows as if he didn't believe her, then said, "Jake, you'd better be heading home, and Sam, you'd better go inside and help your Aunt Sue pack." Jake rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, and replied, "Yes sir." Jake walked out, and as Sam followed him through the doorway, Wyatt said seriously, "We'll talk about this later, Samantha." Sam just nodded, and her heart sank. Jake wouldn't risk helping her if Dad was already mad at him.

But as Sam turned to walk towards the house, Jake smiled and said, "See ya in the mornin', Brat." Then he winked. Sam had never seen Jake wink, but she knew what it meant. It meant Jake and her were in this together, no matter what the risk. Sam grinned back at him, and her smile didn't stop all the way up to the house.


	32. The secret mission

Beep. Beep. Beep. Sam heard the noise right under her ear. She woke up and realized it was her alarm clock which she had stuffed under her pillow the night before to be sure she would hear it but no one else would. Once the alarm stopped Sam pulled it out from under her pillow and looked at the time. 4 am. Sam set the clock on her bedside table and quickly got dressed in jeans, a long sleeve flannel shirt, a sweater, her jacket and her boots. Then she tip toed down the stairs, to the back door, stopping to grab her brown Stetson off the hook behind the door. Then she silently crept outside, closing the door quietly behind her, and sprinted towards the barn.

''. Good morning, ace.''. Sam said lovingly as she rubbed her horse between the ears. '' I know its early boy,'' Sam sympathized, as ace closed his eyes as she lifted the saddle onto his back, ''but we've got to hurry. Jake will be waiting for us in ten minutes.''. Sam continued talking to ace as she got him all ready for their secret mission. Although ace didn't seem near as excited as Sam. Finally Sam put her foot in the stirrup and swung aboard. She trotted ace towards the bridge, then walked him across it. Once they were on the other side of the la charla, Sam directed ace a little ways downstream, where there were some trees to stand under. A few minutes later ace threw his head up and Sam heard a twig snap loudly. She looked past some branches to see Jake astride witch. ''Jake!'' Sam said in a loud whisper, waving towards Jake. After a few seconds of disorientation, Jake spotted her and road witch right up to ace. ''Hey brat,'' Jake said warily. ''We'd better get moving.' Sam said in a commanding tone. ''Wait one minute.' Jake said in an equally authoritative tone, before Sam could nudge ace into a trot. ''What?'' Sam demanded impatiently. ''Where's your dad gonna think you are?'' ''He usually lets me sleep in until nine on Saturday, so he'll think I'm still asleep.'' Sam replied confidently. ''But he'll see ace gone, and how are you supposin' your gonna sneak back in the house without anyone noticing?'' Jake asked, obviously worried. But Sam wasn't. ''Nobody will probably check on ace before I get back. Dad is taking Brynna to a doctor Appointment and won't be back until 9:30, so the one to worry about is gram. And she'll probably be busy in the kitchen as soon as she gets up.'' ''What about your aunt sue?'' Jake pointed out. ''She'll sleep in until at least nine.'' Sam replied surely ''well I guess you got it all figured out.'' Jake said, although he still looked skeptical. ''Let's go!'' Sam said, urging ace into a jog, and Jake followed on witch.

It was almost an hour later when Sam and Jake approached the hidden valley. Sam glanced at Jake, who said, ''you know the phantom's hear right?'' Sam nodded, and looked Jake in the eyes before saying, ''if you go with me, do you promise to keep this place a secret?'' Jake slowly nodded, then after a moment of thought, he said sincerely, ''you know I will. I promise. But you have to promise to be careful.'' ''I promise. '' Sam said, and then she got off of ace and gestured to Jake to do the same. They lead their horses to the entrance to the valley, and then Sam saw him. There, with early morning mist rising around him and sunrise sparkling on his silver coat, stood the phantom. He was grazing amidst his herd, but when he saw Sam, he lifted his head to look at her.

Sam handed ace's reigns to Jake, and stepped into the valley. The phantom walked towards her eagerly. ''Zanzibar.'' she whispered, as he approached her. He let out a small whicker in return. Tears pricked Sam's eyes as he nuzzled her gently with his mighty head. ''I'm sorry boy.'' she said softly, burying her face in his soft mane. The phantom stepped back and leaned down towards her. Sam knew he was inviting her to ride. But she knew she couldn't. ''I have to go Zanzibar.'' she whispered into his ear as he nuzzled her again, '' but I promise this isn't goodbye forever.'' with one last touch of his velvet muzzle, Sam stepped away from the phantom. '' Go back to your family now.'' Sam said in a choked voice. The phantom looked at her for a moment, then swung around and went back to his herd.

As Sam walked back over to Jake, ace, and witch, silent tears were streaming down her face. With both horses' reigns in one hand, Jake leaned forward to wrap her in a one armed hug. They stood there for a few minutes, and then Sam stepped back and took ace's reigns. ''We'd better head back.'' she said, still sniffling. Then they both got on their horses and began riding in a peaceful silence.

They were almost back to river bend when Sam next spoke. ''I think we should stop for a minute.'' Sam said, slowing ace to a walk. ''Why?'' Jake questioned. ''Because I think ace got something in his hoof.'' Sam replied. Sam hopped off ace and ran her hand down his right leg. She lifted his hoof, and sure enough there was a fairly large stone lodged there. Sam barely managed to dislodge with her finger. Then Sam stood up and was about to grab aces reigns which were trailing from his bridle, when there was a high pitch scream. Sam looked up and realized the sound had come from a hawk that was circling above the trees. But ace seemed to think it was a larger threat. With a fearful buck, ace broke into a headlong gallop. Sam tried to grab him somehow, but he was gone, reigns trailing behind him. ''Great!'' Sam shouted sarcastically after ace's rear.

''Jake! Why didn't you-'' Sam stopped when she realized Jake was nowhere in sight. Then suddenly, Jake and witch emerged from behind some trees a few feet away. ''Hey.'' Jake said casually, '' witch was getting antsy, so I decided to walk her around a little bit, but I came back here when I heard hoof beats running away.'' ''Well ace took off.'' Sam stated frustrated' he'll head straight for home.'' Jake said reassured. But this didn't comfort Sam at all. ''Yeah, and when he goes galloping in to the barn, saddle on and stirrups flapping, everyone will know we're gone, and be waiting for us when we get there.'' Sam exclaimed, a bit panicky. Jake seemed to let this dark prospect sink in, then he said, ''Well, I guess we'd better get back to the ranch quick.'' ''Yeah,'' Sam replied in defeat, then questioned, ''but how am I gonna get back now that my supposedly reliable horse just galloped away into the wild blue yonder?'' Jake almost chuckled at Sam's choice of words, bit then he replied calmly, ''you'll have to ride double with me 'till we get back to riverbed.'' ''Oh.'' Sam replied, as if she hadn't even been thinking. Then she took Jake's extended hand and swung up behind him on witch. Sam held tightly to jakes waist, as witch loped towards home.

As they got to the bridge, Jake slowed witch to a walk. The ranch looked empty, but Sam knew it wasn't. It was probably around 7 am, which meant roses, pepper, and Dallas would be around somewhere, and gram would be in the kitchen. They rode into the ranch yard, and Sam hopped off witch. She saw the curtains in the kitchen window flutter, which meant that gram, had looked out and seen them. There was no hiding now, Sam would just have to go inside and face the music. She just hoped gram wouldn't tell dad. But she had an awful gut feeling gram would.

Sorry this isn't edited very well cause I typed it up on my phone, but I hope you enjoy! Next chapter will be up soon!:)


	33. Facing the music

"Samantha Anne Forster."" Gram said, hands on hips as Sam snuck in the back door, ''we'll talk about this when your father gets home.. Sam knew gram must have seen her grimace at those words. ''Now go upstairs and get washed up.'' Sam obediently did as she was told, then went in her room and lay down on her bed. She figured she needed some rest since she'd been up since 4 am. She lay there for awhile, dreading when her father would get back, before she finally fell asleep.

A few hours later gram woke Sam to tell her that her dad and Brynna were home, so she should go downstairs. Sam groaned and slowly stood up and trudges downstairs. When Sam walked into the kitchen Gram, Aunt Sue, and Dad were already sitting at the kitchen table. Sam couldn't help thinking that the kitchen was like some sort of court room where her dad was the judge, and everybody else was the jury. She only wondered what the verdict would be this time, and she hoped Jake wouldn't have to suffer the penalty too. ''Where's Brynna?'' Sam asked, trying to sound casual. ''She's upstairs taking a nap.'' Gram replied. Sam realized that made sense since Brynna had just returned from a doctors appointment. And Sam suddenly realized that the baby was due in the next one to three weeks. But Sam didn't have much time to think about before her Dad looked at her and sternly said, ''Take a seat.'' Sam pulled up a chair next to Aunt Sue, and waited to be questioned. ''I want to know exactly what happened. Starting with yesterday.'' Wyatt began seriously, "You owe me an explanation.'' ''Me and Jake were just talking.'' Sam answered honestly. ''I would believe you Sam, but its not like you and Jake to go sneaking around whispering,'' Wyatt replied, "And after what your Gram told me happened today, I know there's something going on. So tell me the truth.'' Sam was caught in the dilemna.

If she told the truth, what would her dad do? If she didn't tell the truth he would think something was going on, and might be even more mad, especially at Jake. But if she told the truth her dad would still be mad, but possibly less mad, and at least she could take the blame so Jake wouldn't be in hot water. The answer was obvious.

''If something's going on between you and Jake that I should know about, you'd better tell me now.'' Wyatt said firmly. Sam took a deep breath, knowing she would have to tell the truth. ''I had to see the phantom before I left!" Sam said bravely. Sam heard Aunt Sue let out an exasperated sigh. Wyatt looked somehow relieved, but he still didn't look approving. ''Is that the only thing that was going on?'' Wyatt asked skeptically. ''Yes!'' Sam said, looking her father in the eye. ''Alright.'' Wyatt said. Then he seemed to pause and think before he went on. ''I'm not going to punish you because tomorrow is your last day here before you leave and I want you to enjoy it,'' Dad said, his voice sounding softer now,'' And, despite what you may think, I do understand, I just don't want you to get hurt.''

There was a few moments of silence, and Sam felt a pang of sorrow, as she realized she really would miss dad. And as much as she wanted to hate him for sending her away, again, she just couldn't. Because his reason was the same as it had been the first time. He really did just want to protect her. And somewhere deep in Sam's heart, she knew that Dad really was as sad as her to see her go.


	34. Going Away Party

It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In the next two hours, people would start arriving for what gram liked to call her ''going away party'' for sam. The only problem was, Sam wished she wasn't ''going away''. Part of her dreaded the party, because everyone would be saying goodbye. But another part of her thought the party might lift her spirits. But either way, Sam had decided to make the best of things, no matter how hard it was.

Gram's voice broke in to Sam's thoughts as she shouted good naturedly, ''Careful! If you drop that pie, Jake Ely, I'll skin your hide!'' Sam had to laugh when she looked up to see Jake balancing three pies stacked on top of each other, as he carried them out the door. When Jake saw Sam giggling at him, he rolled his eyes and flashed her a grin. Sam knew Jake was really glad she had told the truth, and her Dad wasn't mad.

''Do you need some help Gram?'' Sam asked, as Jake headed out the door, still juggling the pies in his arms. ''I think we've got it under control. You just relax, dear. ''Gram said, and Sam heard a melancholy note in her voice,' After all, this is your party.'' ''Thanks for doing this for me Gram.'' Sam said, sensing Gram's sadness. ''Well, I'm really going to miss you sweetie.'' Gram said, pausing to look at Sam.

For a moment Gram looked close to tears, and Sam felt her own rising in her throat. But then Gram seemed to remember what she was doing, and went back to tossing the salad.

Sam had just changed into a midnight blue sweater and her best jeans, when she came down the stairs to see the kitchen filled to it's full capacity, with neighbors. Then, suddenly, seeming to jump from the crowd, blond braids flying in a blur, Jen flung herself on Sam. ''Oh Sam!'' Jen cried, throwing her arms around her best friend. ''I'm so glad to see you! I'm going to miss you so much!'' Jen proclaimed, clinging to Sam as if she was afraid she would be snatched away at any second. ''I'm going to miss you too.'' Sam said genuinely, as Jen stepped back. Sam felt guilty that she hadn't talked to Jen since she'd found out she was leaving, and she was glad to see her friend didn't hold a grudge. ''I'm so sorry.'' Jen said sympathetically. Then, trying to cheer Sam up, Jen said in a perkier tone, ''Well, at least we have tonight! What do ya say we play some truth or dare?'' ''Sounds good to me.'' Sam said, smiling at her friend. Then the two girls headed outside, hand in hand.

Sam and Jen sat by the fire eating their cherry pie, when Jake, Brian, and Quinn came to sit across from them. ''So I heard we were playing truth or dare.'' Quinn said eagerly. Sam knew Brian and Quinn just couldn't wait to create some embarrassing dares. ''Yeah,'' Sam replied. ''So Quinn, truth or dare?'' Jen asked, eager to quench Quinn's smugness. ''Dare!'' Quinn replied, raising his eyebrows. ''Okay.'' Jen said, with a daring glint to her eye, ''Then I dare you to yell Quinn is afraid of the dark! As loud as you can!'' Sam thought Jen's dare was a little amateur, but it seemed to work on Quinn. ''What?" Quinn screeched hysterically. ''Can't you take a dare?'' Jen egged him on. ''Fine.'' Quinn said, looking embarrassed. Then he took a deep breath and shouted, ''I'm afraidofthedark!'' Sam, Jen and Brian burst out laughing, and even Jake couldn't hide a smile. ''Okay, I did it.'' Quinn said grudginly, ''Now it's Sam's turn. Sam turned to Quinn and waited. ''Sam, truth or dare?'' Quinn asked quickly. Sam only had to think about it for a second. Truth could be just as embarrassing as dare, and besides, Sam thought, dares could be exciting. ''Dare.'' Sam said confidently. Quinn laughed, and Jake gave a look that said, ''What else would you expect?'' Sam smiled and waited for Quinn's dare. I dare you to give Jake a hug and a kiss.'' Quinn stopped as if he was going to leave it at that, but then seemed to decide against it and added, ''on the cheek.'' Sam saw Jake's face turn red at the prospect of going through with the dare. Sam looked at Quinn and knew he had chosen that dare just to make Jake squirm, so finally she decided to play along with it, and just hoped Jake wouldn't be too mad.

Sam smirked at Quinn and crawled over to where Jake was sitting cross legged on the ground. Then, giggling childishly, Sam squeezed Jake in a big hug, then let go to give him a peck on the cheek. ''There!'' Sam exclaimed, throwing her arms out in triumph. Quinn and Brian just laughed, and Jen grinned at her. Sam sat down next to Jen again, and looked at Jake to see his reaction.

Expecting Jake to look embarrassed, Sam was surprised to just see shock on his face, and something else too, that she couldn't read. Confused by Jake's reaction, Sam decided to act like she hadn't noticed. '' It's your turn Jake.'' Sam said cheerfully, ''Truth or dare?'' ''Uh, dare.'' Jake responded, looking as if he had just been snapped out of a reverie. ''I dare you to bring me another piece of cherry pie.'' Sam said, pretending as if it were some terrifying task. She figured she could give Jake a break from embarrassing dares, and benefit from it. Jake rolled his eyes and stood up to go get it for her.

''So, what time are you leaving tomorrow?'' Brian asked. Jen glared at him, knowing it was a sore subject. ''The flight takes off at noon.'' Sam answered quietly.

Jake appeared with Sam's piece of pie, which immediately dropped the tension. ''I put whipped topping on it, just for her majesty.'' Jake teased. Sam laughed as Jake handed her, her pie. She was going to hold this night in her heart forever, so it would always be there to make her laugh, whenever she was lonely.

Jen stood before Sam, dressed in red and white polka dot pajama pants and a matching top that had what looked like cotton balls attached to the buttons. ''So what do you think?'' Jen asked of her sleeping attire. ''I'd say you look like Santa Claus.'' Sam replied between giggles. Jen laughed along with her and said, ''Okay, I guess my style is a little...festive.'' Sam laughed even harder.

After everyone had started leaving the party, Sam and Jen had both asked their parents if Jen could spend the night at River bend and go to the airport in the morning to say goodbye with everyone else. To the girl's delight, their parents had agreed.

''So,'' Jen said, as she bounced on to Sam's bed, ''Promise to call every day?'' ''I'll try.'' Sam replied, ''And Aunt Sue's got a computer so I can email you too.'' ''I'm really going to miss you.'' Jen said earnestly. ''I'm going to miss you too.'' Sam responded. ''And don't lie,'' Jen said with a sly smile, ''You're going to miss Jake too.'' ''Okay, okay.'' Sam admitted, ''I will miss Jake too. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna call him every day.'' ''Or maybe he'll call you every day.'' Jen teased. Sam shook her head. Just the idea of Jake getting on the phone every day, to talk, made her collapse in giggles. Sam and Jen spent the rest of the night talking and laughing. And despite the day that lay ahead, Sam fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	35. This isn't Goodbye

The next morning Gram woke Sam up at 7:30. She only had two hours to get ready to leave. They would be leaving at 9:30 to be sure they got to the airport with plenty of time to take care of her luggage, go through security, etc.

When Sam and Jen walked downstairs to eat breakfast, Sam was surprised to see Dad, Brynna, Gram, Aunt Sue, and Jake, all sitting down at the table, which was covered by a feast of sausage, bacon, eggs, and french toast. ''Wow. This is awesome!'' Sam gasped, as she and Jen sat down. ''Well, we all thought it would be nice to have a good breakfast together before you leave.'' Gram said warmly. Dad passed Sam the french toast, and she looked across the table at Jake. ''Mornin'.'' Jake said with a lazy half smile. '' Jake's offered to follow the buick with his truck, since you and Sue've got so much luggage.'' Wyatt explained, ''Plus there aint enough seats for all of us either, and my truck won't make the long trip.'' Jake looked a little embarrassed by Dad's announcement, but he just nodded.

After breakfast Jen helped Sam finish packing, and soon enough it was 9:15.

''Alright,'' Wyatt said in a no nonsense tone that reminded Sam of a sergeant,' Jake and I will carry the luggage out to the truck. And you,'' Wyatt pointed at Sam and Jen, ''Can help if you like.'' Jake grabbed Aunt Sue's heaviest suitcase and Sam grabbed hers, and followed him out the door. She'd been wanting to talk to Jake before they left. ''In case your wondering,'' Jake said, as if he could read her mind,' I offered to go 'cuz I really would like to be there to say goodbye.'' Sam was surprised. '' Thanks.'' Was all she could think of to say at first. Sam had expected Jake and her to share a brief goodbye before she left, since Jake was uncomfortable with all the sentimental stuff anyway. Sam realized Jake had to think she was pretty important for him to be willing to take a long drive squished in with Sam and Jens. Maybe she was more of a friend to him than just a ''tagalong brat''. And she realized he was more to her than just an over protective jerk.

''It really means a lot to me Jake.'' Sam said sincerely. Jake just shrugged and tossed the suitcase in the bed of the truck. Ten minutes later everyone was outside, getting ready to leave, when Sam remembered something very important. ''Wait!'' Sam shouted, as Gram, Brynna, and Aunt Sue got in to the buick, and Dad prepared to get in to the driver's seat,' There's something I have to do.'' Dad nodded, seeming to understand, and Sam ran towards the barn. ''Oh Ace!'' Sam cried, throwing her arms around her horse's warm neck,' I'm going to miss you so much!'' As Sam buried her face in Ace's soft mane, she didn't hold back her sobs. She would miss everything about Ace. His spunky nature, his soft brown eyes, and that he would always listen to her, no matter what. And most of all, she would miss riding him across the range, free, with the wind blowing through her hair.

''Sam!'' Sam heard her Dad call. She kissed Ace's nose and whispered to him,' I'll be back, don't worry.'' Then, Ace nuzzled her, and holding back her tears, Sam stepped back and wiped her eyes and ran outside.

The drive to the airport somewhat strange for Sam. Since Jake and Jen hated each other, they weren't likely to talk to each other. Sam, who was squished between the two of them, tried to start a conversation, but Jake didn't seem to want to cooperate. Sam had started a random subject for the fifteenth time, Jen muttered a reply, and Jake who had been silent the whole trip suddenly said rather forcefully, "Brat, I'm trying to think." ""What's that supposed to mean?" Sam thought aloud. Jake just sighed. And the rest of the drive was silent.

When they got to the airport, Sam, Jake, and Jen clambered out of the truck and unloaded the luggage. Minutes later, they were all standing in the terminal saying their goodbyes. "Bye Sam," Brynna said with tears in her eyes, "You know, you're just like a daughter to me." "I know." Sam said, hugging her stepmother, "I'm going to miss you."

They pulled apart and Gram stepped forward. "I love you sweetie." Gram said, hugging Sam tightly, "I'm going to miss my Granddaughter." "I'm going to miss you too Gram." Then Gram stepped back so Sam could hug Jen. "Bye Sam." Jen said. Her voice sounded choked, and although Sam had never seen Jen cry, she wasn't so sure now, "You truly are my best friend. I'm really going to miss our rides." "Me too." Sam said, "You'll always be my best friend, no matter where I am."

When Sam approached Jake she didn't know what to expect, and when her stepped forward an hugged her fiercely, she was almost shocked. "I'm really going to miss you Sam." Jake said, and Sam thought she detected an emotion in his voice she had never heard before. "I'll miss you too." Sam said, earnestly, "And even though this might sound funny, can you do me a favor?" "What?" Jake asked, and although Sam knew she was probably imagining things, she thought his voice sounded choked. "Call me brat."

Sam and Jake broke apart, and Jake rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably for a moment when he saw everyone was looking at him. Then he half smiled and said, "Bye….brat." Sam smiled back and replied, "Bye Jake."

Then Sam turned to look at Dad. Last, but not least, he stood looking at her, face full of emotion. "I love you sweetie." He said, wrapping her in a rib breaking hug, "And you know I'm gonna miss you right?" "I know." Sam replied, tears rising in her eyes. "I wish I didn't have to do this." Wyatt said, and Sam could tell he truly meant it. "But I promise it won't be forever." Sam clinged to her  
Father as long as she could, but all too soon the speakers announced her flight. "I'm gonna miss you baby." Dad said with emotion as he let go of her. "I'm gonna miss you too Daddy." Sam replied. "Go get 'em Cowgirl." Wyatt said giving her one more brief hug. Then with one last glance at her family and friends, Sam followed Aunt Sue as she boarded the plane. A single tear slipped down her face, The one thing that gave her hope, was her faith that this wasn't goodbye.


	36. Important Author's Note!

Very Important Author's Note:

Please Read all the way down.:)

To everyone who has been reading this story, thank you so much.

And Thank you for all of you're reviews, they have really encouraged me and have helped me make this story better.

I have really enjoyed writing this story!

But I have decided that this is officially the last chapter of This Isn't Goodbye...But WAIT! Do NOT leave this page feeling dissapointed! Although I will not be continueing This Isn't Goodbye, I will be continueing this story. Okay, Okay, I bet you're confused now. So here is my explanation: As you may have guessed,I am writing a sequel to This Isn't Goodbye!

I have already written chapter one of the sequel and I will be posting it soon. I'm going to call the sequel "Home is where the heart is" and it will continue where This Isn't Goodbye left off. I am really excites about my ideas for Home Is Where The Heart Is and I hope you are too! So as soon as Chapter One is up, please review and tell me what you think, and what ideas you have, and I hope you love it! Thank You! :D


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